Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,734,201 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 650,995 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Aberdeen Group plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $387,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boomfish Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.7% in the third quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $133.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $118.11 and a 200-day moving average of $108.32. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.58 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Wall Street Zen cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.74.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares in the company, valued at $509,434,589.52. This trade 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 Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $140 and kept an Outperform stance, citing a solid Q4 outlook — this helped underpin investor optimism. Oppenheimer price target increased
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage-driven buying: reports noted WMT trading higher after analyst upgrades, which can attract short-term flows ahead of earnings. Walmart trading higher after upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reaffirmed an Outperform and set a $135 target, reinforcing the buy-side narrative that execution improvements (esp. e‑commerce/AI) justify support. Telsey reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst projections and previews (Zacks) suggest key metrics point to a likely beat on some lines, but they highlight modest growth — expectations are elevated going into Q4. Zacks analyst projections
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart will host its Q4 earnings call on Feb. 19 — this event is the immediate catalyst for volatility as investors weigh AI-driven margin commentary against guidance. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: PRIMECAP trimmed its stake slightly — notable as an institutional action but not large enough to indicate a major shift in ownership stance. PRIMECAP trims stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (Reuters) frames Walmart amid broader AI-driven volatility — investors are watchful for any guidance or AI-related execution risks discussed on the call. Wall St week ahead
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece downgraded WMT, arguing the stock trades at a rich ~50x blended P/E despite execution gains from AI — valuation concerns could cap upside if growth disappoints. Seeking Alpha downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Estée Lauder filed suit alleging counterfeit products sold via Walmart’s marketplace — potential reputational, legal, and marketplace-control implications that investors will watch closely. Estée Lauder sues Walmart

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.