Townsend & Associates Inc Buys 4,759 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Townsend & Associates Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 149,636 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,759 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Townsend & Associates Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $16,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its position in Walmart by 397,264.9% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,496,702,000 after purchasing an additional 104,488,610 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Walmart by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,775,000 after buying an additional 3,710,506 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $112.76 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $108.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.17. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $117.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $898.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a PEG ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes WMT settled higher on the session, reflecting positive investor reaction to recent company performance and the market’s appetite for defensive retail names. Walmart (WMT) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: The Motley Fool’s “7 Reasons to Buy WMT” highlights Walmart’s grocery-led revenue ( >50% of sales) and double-digit e-commerce growth — factors supporting durable, predictable cash flow and upside to market share in retail. 7 Reasons to Buy WMT Stock Like There’s No Tomorrow
• Positive Sentiment: A separate Fool piece reiterates Walmart’s diversified retail footprint and low-price positioning as long-term competitive advantages that support steady performance and dividend durability. 3 Reasons to Buy Walmart Stock Like There’s No Tomorrow
• Positive Sentiment: Benzinga’s retrospective on a $100 investment over five years underscores strong long-term shareholder returns, reinforcing buy-and-hold sentiment among income and value investors. Here’s How Much $100 Invested In Walmart 5 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat flags that defensive names (including WMT) may be “crowded” entering 2026 — a reminder that some upside is already priced in and that macro shifts could swing performance. Are These 3 Leading Defensive Stocks Too Crowded Heading Into 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketBeat roundup and a Motley Fool list that mention WMT among dividend/defensive picks reinforce its income/defensive appeal but don’t add fresh catalysts beyond valuation and yield considerations. Bullseye Bounce: Toms Capital Takes a Stake in Target (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Activist activity at peer Target (Toms Capital stake) could intensify competition or prompt industry consolidation moves; that dynamic is a downside risk for Walmart’s market-share and margin outlook if it leads to more aggressive pricing or capital allocation by rivals. Bullseye Bounce: Toms Capital Takes a Stake in Target (WMT)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $123.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,334,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,958,228.79. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total transaction of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,535,221.85. This represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.