Caprock Group LLC Acquires New Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 139,474 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $13,559,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC lifted its position 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 during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd 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. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC boosted its position 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 during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Walmart by 5.2% during the third 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 and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 price target (up from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.26.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Next‑gen stores: Walmart’s Jacksonville Supercenter rollout highlights faster delivery, improved store layouts and deeper digital integration — evidence the company can drive omnichannel sales and margins over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Mizuho raised its WMT price target (to $137) and continues to rate the stock outperform — a catalyst that can support sentiment and attract buyers into any weakness. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/tech strategy: Coverage notes Walmart is partnering with big tech (Amazon/Meta/Alphabet-led AI activity) to accelerate digital capabilities without matching their mega capex — potential long‑term benefit but uncertain timing and economics. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Major legal risk — Estée Lauder lawsuit: Estée Lauder sued Walmart alleging counterfeit La Mer, Le Labo, Clinique, Aveda and Tom Ford products were sold via Walmart’s online marketplace and accuses Walmart of facilitating those sales. The suit seeks injunctions and damages; the case raises reputational, liability and potential marketplace‑oversight costs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Soft retail data: December retail sales were flat (missing expectations), a sign consumer spending momentum cooled — a macro headwind that could pressure Walmart’s comps and margin leverage in the near term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk — Kroger hires ex‑Walmart CEO for U.S. Greg Foran: Kroger’s leadership hire could sharpen competition in grocery and store execution, putting incremental pressure on Walmart’s U.S. share and margins if Kroger executes well. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.76 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $117.07 and its 200-day moving average is $107.67. The company has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.32, a PEG ratio of 4.93 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. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $131.79.

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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart 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.