Temasek Holdings Private Ltd Acquires 97,500 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Temasek Holdings Private Ltd boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 435,062 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 97,500 shares during the quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% 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 128,986 shares of company stock worth $15,927,908. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business is reportedly surging as marketplace activity, seller spending, and digital engagement boost retail media revenue, reinforcing a fast-growing higher-margin profit stream. Walmart’s Advertising Revenues Soar: Is Retail Media Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: New delivery options, including Subway meals through Walmart delivery, suggest the company is continuing to expand convenience offerings and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Inc (WMT) Adds Subway Meals Delivery. Get the Bigger Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted among the best S&P 500 stocks to buy now according to analysts, signaling continued confidence in its defensive business model and growth profile. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now According to Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings season coverage showed Walmart outperforming many large-format grocery and general merchandise peers, reinforcing relative strength versus competitors. Q1 Earnings Outperformers: Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) And The Rest of the Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles debated whether Walmart’s recent rally is fully justified and whether the stock’s party is over, but these pieces were more commentary than a direct business catalyst. Walmart (WMT) Stock After Recent Retail Sentiment Shifts Is The Rally Justified
• Neutral Sentiment: One executive stock sale and a price-prediction style article could create some headline noise, but they do not appear to materially change the company’s operating outlook. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,435,203.96 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One article argued another e-commerce and fintech company may be a better buy than Walmart, which could slightly temper enthusiasm at the margin, though it does not alter Walmart’s fundamentals. Forget Walmart: This E-Commerce and Fintech Giant Is Growing 40% YoY and Is a Better Buy

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $121.03 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.62 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $963.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.47, a PEG ratio of 4.51 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

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.