Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 78,154 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,462,578 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 78,154 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.7% of Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $150,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,168,000 after buying an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Aviva PLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 16.4% in the 2nd 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 boosted its holdings 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 period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on WMT from $130 to $135 and kept a “buy” rating, implying roughly a mid-teens upside vs. current levels — a catalyst that can attract momentum and fund flows. Tigress price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces from Zacks highlight WMT as a growth/retail pick and promote using their Earnings ESP tool to find potential upside ahead of quarters — these pieces can bolster investor interest but are promotional rather than firm-moving. Zacks Earnings ESP article
• Neutral Sentiment: Another Zacks piece profiles Walmart as a “strong growth stock” using its style scores — supportive for longer-term investor narratives but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Zacks growth profile
• Neutral Sentiment: A Yahoo video piece outlines three priorities for Walmart’s CEO to maintain momentum — useful context on management focus that may shape execution expectations but not an immediate market mover. Yahoo CEO priorities video
• Negative Sentiment: CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares for about $2.31M (reported 1/22). The sale reduced his stake by ~0.45% — a modest ownership decline but an optics negative that can weigh on sentiment when combined with near-term weakness. SEC Form 4: McMillon sale
• Negative Sentiment: Market reports note recent short-term share weakness (a daily slide reported on 1/22). That intraday/short-term weakness can amplify selling even as fundamentals remain intact. Zacks: stock slides

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $117.73 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.20. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $121.62. The company has a market capitalization of $938.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.16, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $524,629.35. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $1,127,862.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 536,312 shares in the company, valued at $64,459,339.28. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 135,215 shares of company stock valued at $15,304,608 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $129.00 price target (up previously from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.20.

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.