Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 216,773 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,507 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Walmart were worth $22,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 397,264.9% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,496,702,000 after acquiring an additional 104,488,610 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after purchasing an additional 263,718 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $123.00 price objective (up from $111.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. CICC Research began coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.03.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $119.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $954.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $121.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.54.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $166,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 139,215 shares of company stock worth $15,502,810 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Executive succession clarified: John Furner will become CEO next month and promoted longtime insider David Guggina to CEO of Walmart U.S., a move investors interpret as continuity-focused and supportive for execution on omnichannel and AI strategies. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AI/digital momentum: Coverage highlights Walmart’s AI initiatives and partnerships (Google/Alphabet, OpenAI/ChatGPT) as starting to produce sales/efficiency upside — a strategic story driving valuation premium and analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Fintech and ancillary growth: Walmart‑backed OnePay reached a $4B valuation milestone, signaling potential non‑retail upside from financial-services partnerships. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms recently reiterated/raised Buy/Outperform views and targets, reinforcing short‑term institutional demand. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive positioning: Analysts note Walmart is narrowing Amazon’s online lead — a positive strategic trend but one that still leaves intense competition and execution requirements. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Several senior execs disclosed share sales (combined millions), which can be interpreted as routine diversification but may pressure sentiment short term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: International leadership turnover: Walmart International CEO Kathryn McLay will depart (staying through transition), raising near‑term succession and execution questions for overseas growth. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/tax uncertainty: India’s top court is set to rule on tax treatment of the 2018 Flipkart stake sale (Tiger Global → Walmart), a potential precedent with financial or reputational implications. Read More.

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.