California State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,693,281 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 158,235 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.9% of California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Walmart were worth $831,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $113.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $115.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.02. The stock has a market cap of $900.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is attracting more higher-income customers through low prices, faster delivery and a broader product assortment. This could support sales growth and strengthen its competitive position beyond its traditional value-focused customer base. Can Walmart Sustain Gains Among Higher-Income Customers?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is using artificial intelligence behind the scenes to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency rather than selling AI products directly. Its scale, strong recent earnings and analyst Buy ratings support the view that technology could enhance profitability over time. These 3 AI Winners Don’t Sell the Tech—They Use It
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart recently outperformed the broader market during a trading session, indicating continued momentum, although the report provides no new company-specific catalyst. Walmart Beats Stock Market Upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon overtook Walmart on the Fortune Global 500 revenue ranking, ending Walmart’s 12-year run at No. 1. The change highlights Amazon’s expanding scale and Walmart’s intense competition in retail and ecommerce, but it does not directly alter Walmart’s earnings outlook. Amazon Tops Fortune Global 500 List
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn that Walmart may be expensive after its substantial five-year return. A discounted cash-flow analysis suggests the stock trades above intrinsic value, while a reported salad recall adds a potential near-term reputational and operational risk. Walmart Stock Could Be Pricey After the Salad Recall
• Negative Sentiment: Another valuation review says Walmart’s durable scale advantage is not enough to offset an elevated share price relative to projected forward earnings, limiting upside if growth slows. Walmart Is at $108: Why Investors Should Pause

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.65.

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.