Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock: North Dakota State Investment Board Raises Stake

North Dakota State Investment Board grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 134,442 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,071 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.5% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Walmart were worth $13,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Pingora Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 44.3% during the 1st quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $349,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at $67,940,371.80. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $575,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,432 shares in the company, valued at $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 102,244 shares of company stock valued at $11,112,044. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $118.77 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.88 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.34. The stock has a market cap of $942.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.41.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart lowered the cost of its Thanksgiving meal basket by $5, reinforcing its value proposition as consumers remain sensitive to food prices. Affordable holiday offerings could support traffic and market-share gains. Walmart Thanksgiving menu comparison
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said AI training has increased technology confidence among its more than 2.1 million associates. Broader employee adoption could improve productivity and customer service over time. Walmart AI training for workers
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer is expanding its digital ecosystem by opening its store to AI shopping agents and adding controls for those transactions. Walmart is also partnering with Care Access to add three clinical-trial centers, supporting longer-term growth in digital commerce and healthcare services. Walmart AI shopping agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to compare Walmart with Tesco and MercadoLibre, highlighting Walmart’s scale and expanding digital operations but also its elevated valuation and profitability considerations. WMT versus MercadoLibre
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s potential to benefit from advertising, e-commerce, automation and healthcare remains part of the investment case, although execution and valuation are key factors for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: The Federal Trade Commission demanded data from Walmart and other companies about personalized pricing. The inquiry could increase compliance costs or create reputational and regulatory risks if regulators find consumers are treated unfairly, though no wrongdoing was alleged. FTC personalized pricing inquiry
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of Walmart shares, creating a modest technical headwind and signaling some portfolio rebalancing pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleges Walmart inflated the weight of shrimp packages with ice. Although the financial impact is unclear, the claim adds potential legal costs and negative publicity. Walmart shrimp lawsuit

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.