Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 68.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,431 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 37,075 shares during the quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.69.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong fundamentals and analyst backing: Walmart’s recent quarterly beat and FY‑2026 EPS guidance provide an earnings-supportive backdrop, and multiple analysts maintain buy/outperform views — a tailwind for longer-term investor confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO insider sale — routine but notable: CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares on Dec. 26 (avg price $111.83). The sale is relatively small (≈0.45% reduction) and follows prior periodic sales; investors often view such filings as liquidity/tax planning rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals. Insider Trades
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent flow to adtech/ecommerce: a former head of membership & business development at Walmart Business joined Teikametrics as SVP of Strategy — a reminder of Wal‑Mart alumni moving into the wider e‑commerce/AI ecosystem, which can both diffuse company-specific know‑how and broaden industry innovation. BusinessWire
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention: Zacks notes Walmart as a trending stock — higher retail interest can raise liquidity and volatility but doesn’t change fundamentals by itself. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Website and app outage — immediate operational risk: thousands of customers reported inability to access Walmart’s app and website on Dec. 30, per Downdetector and press reports. Temporary outages during peak shopping periods can dent e‑commerce sales, frustrate customers, and attract short‑term selling pressure. PYMNTS WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and crowding risk: Walmart is trading at a high earnings multiple relative to history (~39x reported), which can limit upside and make the stock more sensitive to any growth or margin disappointments in 2026.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.92 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.86. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $117.45. The firm has a market cap of $892.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.13, a PEG ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. The company’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, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $746,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,535,221.85. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total transaction of $1,414,612.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $96,241,073.20. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.