Korea Investment CORP Acquires 139,138 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,733,453 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 139,138 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of Korea Investment CORP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $415,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% 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. Insiders sold a total of 128,986 shares of company stock worth $15,927,908 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $121.04 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.28 and a 200-day moving average of $121.66. The firm has a market cap of $963.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.47, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.62 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 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.