Vanguard Group Inc. Has $44.90 Billion Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.7% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.05% of Walmart worth $44,898,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

WMT opened at $133.89 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $118.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.39. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.65. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.74.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $166,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 227,566 shares of company stock valued at $26,790,653. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

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

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.