North Dakota State Investment Board Buys Shares of 149,175 Walmart Inc. $WMT

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 149,175 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $16,620,000. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $138.88.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.45 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $93.43 and a one year high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 36.13%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

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.