Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 844,179 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,881 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.0% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $87,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.1% during the second quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% during the second quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Hickory Point Bank & Trust raised its position in Walmart by 1.3% in the third quarter. Hickory Point Bank & Trust now owns 7,706 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.9% in the third quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.37.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $113.07 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $109.47 and its 200-day moving average is $103.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $901.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $117.45.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total transaction of $1,508,193.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 733,841 shares in the company, valued at $84,325,669.31. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 617,318 shares in the company, valued at $68,664,281.14. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 125,628 shares of company stock worth $13,690,065. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointment of Shishir Mehrotra to the board — Mehrotra (CEO of Superhuman, ex-Grammarly) adds AI/tech product experience and will join the Technology & eCommerce committee, signaling stronger governance and capability for Walmart’s digital and AI initiatives, which investors view as key to e-commerce and supply-chain improvements. Walmart names Shishir Mehrotra to Board of Directors
• Positive Sentiment: New youth fashion line (Mills by Millie Bobby Brown) — Walmart launched an exclusive teen/young-women apparel brand, a low-cost, high-traffic assortment that can drive store/online visits and margins in private brands. It’s a low-capex way to boost traffic and demographic reach. Millie Bobby Brown Debuts Exclusive Fashion Line for Teens and Young Women at Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Launch of Better Care Services digital healthcare platform — Walmart expanded into a digital healthcare network and cut prices on some wellness items; this broadens Walmart’s services revenue mix and leverages scale in health/wellness, a potential traffic and loyalty driver over time. Walmart Launches Digital Healthcare Platform, to Cut Prices on Some Health Items
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/consensus views mixed but constructive — Wells Fargo kept an Overweight rating and lifted its price target to $130, and broader analyst consensus remains around a “moderate buy,” supporting a positive medium-term view despite some caution. Wells Fargo Sees Opportunity at Walmart (WMT) Walmart Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Market mentions & technical chatter — Several outlets flagged WMT among stocks to watch and technical bullish narratives (Elliott Wave / fair-value discussions). These are interest drivers but lower-impact than company strategy or analyst changes. 4 stocks to watch on Thursday: GOOG, TD, ARM, WMT
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank downgrade to Hold — Deutsche Bank cut WMT from Buy to Hold and set a $119 target, which is modestly above current levels; downgrades can weigh on near-term momentum and cap upside until execution or guidance clears. Walmart resumed with a Hold at Deutsche Bank

Walmart 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.