5,071 Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by North Dakota State Investment Board

North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,442 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,071 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 0.5% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Walmart were worth $13,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Compton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the first quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,443 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,162,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the first quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 9,577 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Bernicke Wealth Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the second quarter. Bernicke Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 12,548 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the third quarter. MBE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,306 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $118.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization 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 Inc. has a one year low of $98.88 and a one year high of $135.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.34.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $1,399,912.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 102,244 shares of company stock valued at $11,112,044. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart News Summary

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

About Walmart

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.