Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 12.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 577,721 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 80,963 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 0.9% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Walmart were worth $71,799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $112.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $895.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.43 and a fifty-two week 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.44 and a 200 day moving average of $122.08.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart, General Mills, and ADM announced a collaboration to expand regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres, a move that supports the company’s sustainability goals and could strengthen supplier relationships over time. General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Accelerate Regenerative Agriculture Across 40,000 Midwest Wheat Acres
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart highlighted its back-to-school push, emphasizing low prices, convenience, and style, which could support near-term traffic and seasonal sales as families shop for the new school year. Walmart Helps Americans Navigate Their Annual Back-to-School Reset with Unmatched Value, Convenience and Style
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart declared its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock and signaling management confidence in cash generation. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart with Johnson & Johnson framed both as defensive names with different strategies, but it did not introduce a clear new catalyst for WMT shares. Walmart vs Johnson & Johnson: Two Defensive Plays, Diverging Strategies and One Winner
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces again raised valuation concerns, noting Walmart’s high earnings multiple and suggesting the stock may be expensive after a strong multi-year run, which can cap upside even if fundamentals remain solid. Walmart (WMT) Stock Could Be 16% Overvalued Following Dividend Hike
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks note said Walmart stock sank while the broader market gained, pointing to relative weakness and reinforcing investor concern that the shares may be losing momentum. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive commentary from Jefferies favoring Amazon as a cheaper way to gain exposure to AI infrastructure and retail may pressure Walmart by reminding investors of stronger alternatives in retail-related exposure. AMZN Stock Is Cheaper Than WMT And GOOGL
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some Spark delivery workers are frustrated by a new app feature could indicate operational friction in Walmart’s delivery network, though the financial impact is unclear for now. Walmart delivery workers say a new app feature is sending them running around stores

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was 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 quarter, insiders sold 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.