Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,779,559 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 99,837 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.5% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Walmart were worth $309,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after buying an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $294,621,000. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $280,736,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $138.67.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

WMT opened at $132.46 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.06.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report

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.