<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in  Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 21.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The firm owned 308,439 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 55,341 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $31,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><ul><li>Bullseye Bounce: Toms Capital Takes a Stake in Target</li></ul><p>Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in  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 purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter.  Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its position in shares of  Walmart by 397,264.9% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer's stock worth $10,496,702,000 after buying an additional 104,488,610 shares during the period.  Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of  Walmart by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after acquiring an additional 263,718 shares during the last quarter.  Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of  Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000.  Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of  Walmart by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098,342 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>Insider Transactions at Walmart</h2><p>In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total value of $244,706.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $68,664,281.14. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,425 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $166,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 641,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,039,471. This trade represents a 0.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 125,628 shares of company stock worth $13,690,065. Corporate insiders own  0.10% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Walmart Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Are These 3 Leading Defensive Stocks Too Crowded Heading Into 2026?</li></ul><p>WMT stock opened at $111.41 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $108.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.92. The stock has a market cap of $887.96 billion, a PE ratio of 38.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $117.45. </p><p>Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS.  Equities analysts forecast that  Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>The Kroger Catalyst: $2 Billion Reasons to Buy</li></ul><p>A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada  restated an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and set a $123.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Evercore ISI  set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group  reaffirmed a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Truist Financial  set a $127.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one  has assigned  a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $120.69.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Walmart</b></p><h2>About Walmart</h2> (Free Report)<p>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. </p><p>The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Walmart</li><li>The Best $1 You'll Spend This Holiday Season</li><li>Holiday surprise: $1 gets you everything</li><li>America’s “most deplorable” Christmas sale</li><li>Market Panic: Trump Just Dropped a Bomb on Your Stocks</li><li>Your family's wealth expires in 2026?</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9V01U?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9V01U"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Walmart Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Walmart, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Walmart wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Walmart currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 21.9% in Q3, owning 308,439 shares valued at approximately $31.79 million. Other institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Kingstone Capital Partners, also adjusted their positions in Walmart. Recent insider transactions included sales by executives John D. Rainey and Daniel J. Bartlett. Walmart's stock opened at $111.41, with a market cap of $887.96 billion and a PE ratio of 38.95. The company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.62, exceeding estimates, and set FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS.</p>

- Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 21.9% in Q3, owning 308,439 shares valued at approximately $31.8 million.  
- Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard and Kingstone Capital Partners, have made significant adjustments to their Walmart holdings, contributing to 26.76% of the stock being owned by institutions.  
- Walmart reported a quarterly revenue of $179.5 billion, surpassing analyst expectations, while maintaining a moderate buy rating among analysts with price targets ranging from $120.00 to $129.00.

Merit Financial Group LLC Has $31.79 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT