Prospera Financial Services Inc Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Prospera Financial Services Inc cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 438,666 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,640 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after buying an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% in the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 16.4% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its position in Walmart by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on WMT to $137 and put an “outperform” rating on the stock, implying upside from current levels — a direct bullish signal that can drive buying interest from funds that follow analyst guidance. Mizuho raises WMT price target
• Positive Sentiment: DBS initiated/maintained a buy on WMT (press coverage), adding third‑party validation that could support inflows from Asia‑focused or model‑driven investors. DBS buys WMT
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting WMT’s rise to a ~$1 trillion market cap frames the company’s omnichannel and automation progress as a growth story — a sentiment boost for investors focused on structural earnings improvement. Walmart reaches $1T valuation
• Positive Sentiment: A Barron’s piece argues Walmart can benefit from big‑tech AI investment without matching their huge capex, suggesting Walmart could capture AI-driven gains (better supply chain, personalization, automation) while preserving capital — a potentially margin‑supportive narrative. Walmart letting big tech foot AI bill
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger naming ex‑Walmart executive Greg Foran as CEO is notable for talent flow in the grocery sector; it could sharpen competition execution but is not an immediate direct negative for Walmart’s core omnichannel thesis. Kroger names ex‑Walmart exec CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: commentary on the bond market and potential Fed policy shifts (yield curve moves, Fed chair nomination coverage) raises recession/inflation volatility concerns — a headwind for broad equity multiples and highly valued consumer names. Bond market warning / macro risk

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $129.02 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $116.79 and a 200-day moving average of $107.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $131.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $166,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,642 shares in the company, valued at $77,477,040. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858 in the last 90 days. 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.