Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 214.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 77,336 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,768 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.5% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $113.06 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.81. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $899.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.67, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total transaction of $167,212.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 635,593 shares in the company, valued at $85,023,275.61. This represents a 0.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed OnePay is looking beyond the retailer’s ecosystem to grow its financial app, which could expand the company’s digital and fintech reach if it attracts more outside users. Walmart-Backed OnePay Looks Beyond Retailer’s Ecosystem to Fuel Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said its drones have completed more than 1 million deliveries, highlighting continued progress in faster last-mile fulfillment and its push to improve convenience for customers. Walmart Marks Millionth Drone Drop-Off Amid Increased Delivery Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded 30-minute delivery to 33 U.S. markets, reinforcing its e-commerce and grocery delivery advantage versus rivals. Walmart’s 30-Minute Delivery Expansion Strengthens Its Retail Edge
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart announced an expanded community initiative in Florida to support first responders and children in crisis, which is positive for brand image but likely limited in direct stock impact. Walmart Helps First Responders Comfort Children in Crisis Across Florida
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Target and Walmart suggests Walmart remains strong on scale, ads, and higher-income customer gains, but the piece is more of an industry comparison than a new company-specific catalyst. Target vs Walmart: Both Fighting For The Same Customer, Only One Wins
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary focused on whether Walmart’s share-price pullback means much of the upside is already priced in, reflecting investor caution after the stock’s recent decline. Is It Time To Reassess Walmart (WMT) After The Recent Share Price Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Walmart limited employee use of an AI tool may raise concerns about internal policy or operational friction, though the direct financial impact appears modest. Update: Market Chatter: Walmart Limits Staff’s Usage of AI Tool After High Demand

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.