Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,080,740 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 109,909 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Walmart worth $626,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Leadership change signals digital focus — John Furner will become CEO of Walmart Inc. on Feb. 1, a move markets interpret as a deliberate shift to accelerate Walmart’s digital footprint and omnichannel execution, which could support long‑term revenue and margin expansion. Walmart’s Choice for New CEO Signals Intent to Expand Digital Footprint
• Positive Sentiment: Scale and top-line strength — a recent review highlights Walmart generated roughly $681 billion in revenue in fiscal 2025 (about $1.87B/day), underscoring the company’s dominant scale that supports bargaining power, assortment investment, and steady cash flow. Walmart’s $611 Billion Annual Revenue: Breaking Down $1.7 Billion Per Day
• Positive Sentiment: Front‑line investment in pharmacy staff — Walmart is boosting pay and elevating about 3,000 pharmacy roles, which should help reduce turnover, improve service in a high‑margin category, and support healthcare strategy. That operational investment is viewed positively for execution and customer experience. Walmart boosting pay potential for pharmacy technicians, elevates 3,000 roles
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive landscape remains intense — coverage highlights ongoing competition between Walmart and Amazon across grocery and healthcare, a reminder that pricing and logistics arms races could pressure margins even as Walmart scales services. Amazon, Walmart Fight War on 2 Fronts: Grocery and Healthcare
• Neutral Sentiment: Merchandising promotions — brands like Cate & Chloe are featuring product assortments on Walmart.com for seasonal gifting (Valentine’s), which supports e‑commerce assortment and marketing but is not material alone. Cate & Chloe Highlights Valentine’s Day Hoop Earrings Available at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail PR and community efforts — unrelated consumer goods relief efforts (e.g., P&G storm relief) reflect sector-wide CSR activity; positive for brand but limited direct impact on Walmart’s near‑term financials. PROCTER & GAMBLE BRINGS RELIEF TO MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY SEVERE WINTER STORM

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total value of $1,508,193.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 733,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,325,669.31. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,215 shares of company stock worth $15,304,608 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $119.14 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.48 and its 200 day moving average is $106.03. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $121.62. 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 company has a market cap of $949.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.66, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed 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 target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.37.

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.