Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Acquires 294,545 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 12.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,679,722 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 294,545 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.5% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Walmart were worth $276,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its stake in Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 733,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,325,669.31. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $524,629.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 238,583 shares in the company, valued at $28,675,290.77. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 135,215 shares of company stock worth $15,304,608 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

Walmart stock opened at $119.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $121.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $949.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.66, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $114.48 and a 200 day moving average of $106.03.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $126.00 target price (up from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.