Walmart's Largest Shareholder Family Sells Billions in Shares... CEO Also Sells

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), a major U.S. retailer, saw its principal shareholder Walton Family Holdings Trust dispose of common shares totaling about $300 million (approximately KRW 400 billion) through on‐exchange sales from May 22 to 28, slightly reducing its direct holding from roughly 513 million shares to about 509 million shares. During the same period, the trust also executed book‐entry transfers of shares to beneficiaries at no cost, and even after these transactions, it remains the largest shareholder with no material change in its controlling status. On May 28, CEO Douglas McMillon sold approximately 19,000 shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, raising around $2.3 million (nearly KRW 3 billion) in cash. He still holds over 4 million shares directly and indirectly, resulting in only a marginal shift in his ownership percentage.

In its fiscal 2027 first‐quarter results announced May 21, Walmart reported revenue of $177.8 billion (about KRW 200 trillion), a 7.3 percent increase year-over-year. Global e-commerce sales grew 26 percent, but the stock experienced a short-term pullback following conservative guidance. The company provided second-quarter revenue and operating-income growth forecasts while maintaining its full-year 2027 outlook, highlighting automation and AI-driven productivity improvements, omni-channel retailing, and its advertising business as core growth pillars.

Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, generating about $713 billion in annual sales (approximately KRW 900 trillion) and employing around 2.1 million associates globally. It operates supercenters and club-format stores across the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America. The Walton family remains the core controlling shareholder, and Douglas McMillon, CEO since 2014, has spearheaded the transition from traditional brick-and-mortar retail to an e-commerce and AI-focused omni-channel enterprise.