Mainsail Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Mainsail Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,179 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $740,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 9,648.7% during the 2nd 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 stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 23.5% in the 2nd 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. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Executive succession clarified: John Furner will become CEO next month and promoted longtime insider David Guggina to CEO of Walmart U.S., a move investors interpret as continuity-focused and supportive for execution on omnichannel and AI strategies. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AI/digital momentum: Coverage highlights Walmart’s AI initiatives and partnerships (Google/Alphabet, OpenAI/ChatGPT) as starting to produce sales/efficiency upside — a strategic story driving valuation premium and analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Fintech and ancillary growth: Walmart‑backed OnePay reached a $4B valuation milestone, signaling potential non‑retail upside from financial-services partnerships. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms recently reiterated/raised Buy/Outperform views and targets, reinforcing short‑term institutional demand. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive positioning: Analysts note Walmart is narrowing Amazon’s online lead — a positive strategic trend but one that still leaves intense competition and execution requirements. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Several senior execs disclosed share sales (combined millions), which can be interpreted as routine diversification but may pressure sentiment short term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: International leadership turnover: Walmart International CEO Kathryn McLay will depart (staying through transition), raising near‑term succession and execution questions for overseas growth. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/tax uncertainty: India’s top court is set to rule on tax treatment of the 2018 Flipkart stake sale (Tiger Global → Walmart), a potential precedent with financial or reputational implications. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $129.00 price target (up from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.03.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $119.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $954.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $111.49 and a 200-day moving average of $104.49. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $121.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,535,221.85. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $524,629.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 238,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,675,290.77. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 139,215 shares of company stock worth $15,502,810. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.