Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Sells 44,488 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 64.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,568 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 44,488 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 397,264.9% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,496,702,000 after purchasing an additional 104,488,610 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after buying an additional 263,718 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,367,770,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.3%

WMT stock opened at $114.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $109.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $103.77. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $117.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $912.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total transaction of $2,127,411.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,334,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,958,228.79. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated its Buy rating on WMT, reinforcing institutional confidence in Walmart’s outlook and supporting demand for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $125 (from $115) and kept an Outperform/Overweight view, signaling upward analyst momentum that can boost buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo also lifted its target to $130 and remains constructive on Walmart, adding to the analyst support narrative behind the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Better Care Services,” a digital healthcare platform and lowered prices on some health items — a strategic push that could expand margins and services revenue over time. Analysts are re-assessing valuation with this new health push in mind. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart added Shishir Mehrotra (ex-Grammarly/Superhuman) to its board — a governance move emphasizing AI and e‑commerce expertise that investors view as strengthening Walmart’s tech roadmap. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched a celebrity fashion line (Millie Bobby Brown) aimed at teens and young women — a branding/merchandising boost but likely modest near-term financial impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes (Zacks, Kalkine, AmericanBankingNews) show elevated investor attention and a consensus “moderate buy,” which keeps the stock in focus but doesn’t single-handedly move fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon received approval to build a 225,000 sq ft Walmart-style supercenter near Chicago that would blend in-store shopping with fulfillment — a clear competitive threat to Walmart’s grocery and omnichannel footprint in key markets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank downgraded Walmart from Buy to Hold with a $119 target, signaling some analyst caution (limits upside relative to recent price moves) and adding selling pressure for more risk‑sensitive investors. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.37.

About Walmart

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.