Walmart Inc. $WMT Stake Raised by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 188,985 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,531 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $294,621,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,991.9% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,549,719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $249,312,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427,834 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. 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, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,851,650 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large supply‑chain investment — Walmart opened its third owned milk processing facility (Robinson, TX) and is investing in milk capacity to strengthen domestic supply, lower costs and secure private‑label supply chains, which supports margin and product availability. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility in Robinson, Texas, Creating More Than 400 New Jobs Walmart invests in new milk plant to grow US supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership redesign aimed at retention and execution — Walmart is eliminating the “store lead” role while expanding higher‑paid managerial positions to keep senior managers longer and accelerate store execution and merchandising (including a fashion push). Investors view this as a move to improve in‑store performance and strategic initiatives. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment strategy — Walmart is expanding local products in select markets to better match tightened consumer budgets and preferences, a tactical move that can drive traffic and margins in price‑sensitive areas. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake, a signal of confidence from a large investor that can support the stock. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store capital projects — Walmart is earmarking millions for upgrades at multiple Arizona stores; store refreshes can boost sales but also represent near‑term capital spend. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullish coverage — Several pieces summarize bullish theses on WMT and recommend the stock as retail sentiment improves; these articles can reinforce positive investor sentiment but are not new company actions. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now? Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social impact — Walmart’s Acres for America grants were announced; positive for ESG profile but unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America Program
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and near‑term margin risk — The combination of higher‑paid manager roles and heavy capital/supply‑chain investments (e.g., $350M+ milk facilities) could weigh on near‑term margins and free cash flow before benefits are realized. Walmart eliminates store lead positions as managers making $400K stay for longer

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $125.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.56. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

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.