Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 738,801 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 21,317 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Walmart were worth $76,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,199,712,000 after purchasing an additional 263,718 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 3.6% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in Walmart by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,775,000 after buying an additional 3,710,506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Next‑gen stores: Walmart’s Jacksonville Supercenter rollout highlights faster delivery, improved store layouts and deeper digital integration — evidence the company can drive omnichannel sales and margins over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Mizuho raised its WMT price target (to $137) and continues to rate the stock outperform — a catalyst that can support sentiment and attract buyers into any weakness. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/tech strategy: Coverage notes Walmart is partnering with big tech (Amazon/Meta/Alphabet-led AI activity) to accelerate digital capabilities without matching their mega capex — potential long‑term benefit but uncertain timing and economics. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Major legal risk — Estée Lauder lawsuit: Estée Lauder sued Walmart alleging counterfeit La Mer, Le Labo, Clinique, Aveda and Tom Ford products were sold via Walmart’s online marketplace and accuses Walmart of facilitating those sales. The suit seeks injunctions and damages; the case raises reputational, liability and potential marketplace‑oversight costs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Soft retail data: December retail sales were flat (missing expectations), a sign consumer spending momentum cooled — a macro headwind that could pressure Walmart’s comps and margin leverage in the near term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk — Kroger hires ex‑Walmart CEO for U.S. Greg Foran: Kroger’s leadership hire could sharpen competition in grocery and store execution, putting incremental pressure on Walmart’s U.S. share and margins if Kroger executes well. Read More.

Walmart Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $126.76 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $131.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 44.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 target price (up previously from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,434,589.52. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $166,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 645,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.