Korea Investment CORP Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Korea Investment CORP lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,594,315 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 91,006 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.8% of Korea Investment CORP’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $370,430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 9,648.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after purchasing an additional 11,368,549 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings 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. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 23.5% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,902,775,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710,506 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,176.6% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 3,317,487 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $324,384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,057,612 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.00. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $986.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reportedly pulling back on direct purchases in ChatGPT could send more checkout traffic to retailer apps, giving Walmart’s commerce and app ecosystem an advantage. ChatGPT’s Retail Retreat Hands Walmart An AI Advantage: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and re?rated fair?value models are lifting the tech/AI narrative around Walmart, producing higher price targets and supporting upside expectations from investors focused on digital and ads monetization. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With Tech, AI And A Richer Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Company execution reminders — new store formats and ongoing omnichannel growth — reinforce the core retail case that underpins earnings stability. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is high — search and readership spikes (Zacks/Yahoo) and conference transcripts give analysts more to parse but contain no single market?moving surprise. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A reported sale by a 10% Walmart owner totaling roughly $136.45M adds supply pressure and can prompt short?term negative sentiment despite not reflecting company fundamentals. 10% Owner Of Walmart Sold $136.45M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlight a cautious forward outlook and attention to a ~$100M regulatory settlement tied to the Spark Driver program — both factors that pressured the stock in recent sessions. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing tariff and import risks remain a margin headwind risk given Walmart’s large import footprint; rising trade frictions could pressure costs if not passed to customers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment

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.