California Public Employees Retirement System Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,460,379 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,588,311 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Walmart were worth $974,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $126.52 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’s fifty day moving average price is $123.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s 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 directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

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.