Shell Asset Management Co. Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 98.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,216 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,976 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $613,000. GenTrust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $1,571,000. Investment Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the third quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 19,975 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. ADE LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 72.2% in the third quarter. ADE LLC now owns 3,663 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in Walmart by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 3,734,201 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $387,013,000 after acquiring an additional 650,995 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $140 and kept an Outperform stance, citing a solid Q4 outlook — this helped underpin investor optimism. Oppenheimer price target increased
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage-driven buying: reports noted WMT trading higher after analyst upgrades, which can attract short-term flows ahead of earnings. Walmart trading higher after upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reaffirmed an Outperform and set a $135 target, reinforcing the buy-side narrative that execution improvements (esp. e?commerce/AI) justify support. Telsey reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst projections and previews (Zacks) suggest key metrics point to a likely beat on some lines, but they highlight modest growth — expectations are elevated going into Q4. Zacks analyst projections
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart will host its Q4 earnings call on Feb. 19 — this event is the immediate catalyst for volatility as investors weigh AI-driven margin commentary against guidance. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: PRIMECAP trimmed its stake slightly — notable as an institutional action but not large enough to indicate a major shift in ownership stance. PRIMECAP trims stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (Reuters) frames Walmart amid broader AI-driven volatility — investors are watchful for any guidance or AI-related execution risks discussed on the call. Wall St week ahead
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece downgraded WMT, arguing the stock trades at a rich ~50x blended P/E despite execution gains from AI — valuation concerns could cap upside if growth disappoints. Seeking Alpha downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Estée Lauder filed suit alleging counterfeit products sold via Walmart’s marketplace — potential reputational, legal, and marketplace-control implications that investors will watch closely. Estée Lauder sues Walmart

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.74.

Walmart Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $133.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently 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.