Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 36,591 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fifth Third Bancorp trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,394,887 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 36,591 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of Fifth Third Bancorp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $246,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after purchasing an additional 263,718 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 3.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Walmart by 23.5% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,775,000 after buying an additional 3,710,506 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $133.89 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $118.11 and a 200 day moving average of $108.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The business’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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Walmart News

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $166,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 645,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This represents 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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 227,566 shares of company stock worth $26,790,653. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. DA Davidson set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $129.00 price objective (up from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.74.

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.