Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Purchases Shares of 7,034,053 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 7,034,053 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $796,677,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Walmart stock opened at $103.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.79 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Monday, July 27th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $114.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

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.