Nova R Wealth Inc. Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Nova R Wealth Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 81.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,154 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 17,786 shares during the quarter. Nova R Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $428,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,168,000 after buying an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its stake in Walmart by 16.4% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $374,861,000 after acquiring an additional 539,504 shares in the last quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. increased its holdings in Walmart by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 76.6% in the 2nd quarter. Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. now owns 42,626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,168,000 after purchasing an additional 18,485 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Mizuho set a $125.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.37.

Walmart Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $114.53 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $117.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.73. The company has a market cap of $912.82 billion, a PE ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total transaction of $406,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at $105,741,441.65. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Company 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.