Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $231.59 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,863,414 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 32,036 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.7% of Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Walmart were worth $231,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating on Walmart and raised its price target to $137, signaling meaningful upside potential from current levels. Benzinga report on RBC rating
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight Walmart as a wide-moat and growth stock, pointing to durable competitive advantages and steady financial growth that can support investor confidence. Wide-moat stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a partnership with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned products, which could improve e-commerce efficiency, recover losses from returns, and reduce waste. Yahoo Finance ReturnPro partnership article
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage on Walmart’s dividend history may attract income-focused investors, but it does not appear to be a new catalyst for the stock today. TheStreet dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary notes Walmart’s extended downturn could set up a possible rebound, but this is more of a sentiment/valuation call than a fundamental change. MSN comeback article
• Negative Sentiment: RBC and other market commentary suggest Walmart may report a softer fiscal Q2 as lower-income shoppers remain under pressure, raising concerns about near-term sales momentum. Yahoo Finance softer Q2 article
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues Walmart has lagged the market over the past several months, with recent softer results contributing to investor caution. Yahoo Finance stock falls article

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $108.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $117.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.06. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.35 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $862.66 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.