Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 6,874 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 842,205 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,874 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $86,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. PFS Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total transaction of $2,127,411.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,334,747 shares in the company, valued at $474,958,228.79. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. CICC Research began coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.37.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated its Buy rating on WMT, reinforcing institutional confidence in Walmart’s outlook and supporting demand for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $125 (from $115) and kept an Outperform/Overweight view, signaling upward analyst momentum that can boost buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo also lifted its target to $130 and remains constructive on Walmart, adding to the analyst support narrative behind the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Better Care Services,” a digital healthcare platform and lowered prices on some health items — a strategic push that could expand margins and services revenue over time. Analysts are re-assessing valuation with this new health push in mind. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart added Shishir Mehrotra (ex-Grammarly/Superhuman) to its board — a governance move emphasizing AI and e‑commerce expertise that investors view as strengthening Walmart’s tech roadmap. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched a celebrity fashion line (Millie Bobby Brown) aimed at teens and young women — a branding/merchandising boost but likely modest near-term financial impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes (Zacks, Kalkine, AmericanBankingNews) show elevated investor attention and a consensus “moderate buy,” which keeps the stock in focus but doesn’t single-handedly move fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon received approval to build a 225,000 sq ft Walmart-style supercenter near Chicago that would blend in-store shopping with fulfillment — a clear competitive threat to Walmart’s grocery and omnichannel footprint in key markets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank downgraded Walmart from Buy to Hold with a $119 target, signaling some analyst caution (limits upside relative to recent price moves) and adding selling pressure for more risk‑sensitive investors. Read More.

Walmart Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $114.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $912.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $117.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $103.77. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

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.