Banyan Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Banyan Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 257.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,135 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,300 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 0.5% of Banyan Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Banyan Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in Walmart by 23.5% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,902,775,000 after acquiring an additional 3,710,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,176.6% in the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 3,317,487 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $324,384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,057,612 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $117.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $121.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $935.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.20.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is elevating 3,000 pharmacy technician roles to operations team lead and raising average pay from $22 to $28/hour, signaling a material investment in pharmacy and digital health services that can expand higher-margin services and improve customer retention. Walmart boosts pharmacy pay, elevates 3,000 roles (Reuters) Walmart boosting pay potential for pharmacy technicians (Yahoo) Walmart expands health care push (Seeking Alpha)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive — some outlets continue to pitch WMT as a buy on value, scale and omnichannel advantages during weak consumer confidence, supporting upside sentiment among investors. Buy Walmart and 3 retail stocks (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart vs. Target coverage compares tech upgrades, omnichannel growth and differing customer mixes; investors should watch execution and margin trade-offs as each pursues traffic and digital sales. WMT vs. TGT (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on the Amazon–Walmart rivalry stresses intensified competition in grocery and healthcare; that underscores growth opportunity but also potential margin pressure as both invest in services, logistics and pricing. Amazon, Walmart Fight on Grocery and Healthcare (PYMNTS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership news: reports note CEO Doug McMillon is retiring after a long tenure; the company is portrayed as having attracted higher-income shoppers during inflation — leadership transition is a watch item but not an immediate operational shock. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon retiring (Fox Business)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total transaction of $1,508,193.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 733,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,325,669.31. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,215 shares of company stock worth $15,304,608. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.