Walton family sells over $1.5 billion in Walmart stock (2024)

FAQs

How much Walmart stock does the Walton family own? ›

The Walton trio have garnered more than $45 billion in total from stock sales and dividends over the years, per Bloomberg. Together with other relatives, they own more than 1.25 billion shares, or more than 45% of the company — a stake valued at over $220 billion.

Members of the Walton family sold roughly $1.5 billion worth of Walmart Inc. stock at the end of last week as shares hovered near a record high.

Given the prospect that Walmart may continue to buy back shares, the Walton family has informed Walmart that it currently expects to sell Walmart shares from time to time in order to help offset possible further increases in its ownership percentage and to help fund charitable contributions.

Jim Walton, Alice Walton, and Rob Walton are the top three individual shareholders of Walmart. Walmart's largest institutional investors include the John T. Walton Estate Trust, Vanguard Group, and BlackRock.

With a combined net worth of $226.3 billion, the three Waltons are collectively wealthier than Tesla CEO Elon Musk's $209.8 billion, according to Forbes as of Monday. When joined by the rest of the Walton clan, that wealth balloons to about $267 billion — far more than the next wealthiest family, the Mars candy heirs.

Walmart is owned by its shareholders. The Walton family is the largest shareholder of Walmart, holding 50% of the company's shares.

The reasons to sell Walmart

The bears believe Walmart's stock is historically expensive now -- it traded at less than 20 times earnings throughout most of the 2010s, and it's pricier than most of its industry peers.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. —

The Walton Family is the richest family in the world. It owes its wealth to the Walmart company started by brothers Sam & Bud Walton in Northwest Arkansas more than six decades ago.

The Waltons are the richest family in America thanks to their stake in Walmart, the world's largest retailer by sales. An estimated 45% of Walmart's stock is held by the families of seven heirs of founders Sam Walton (d. 1992) and his brother Bud (d. 1995).

Robson Walton, $66 billion. Alice Walton, $65.1 billion. Lukas Walton, $23.8 billion. Christy Walton, $11.6 billion.

Why are the Waltons selling stock in 2024? ›

A 2015 statement from the Walton family said that its members will sell shares from “time to time” to curb increases in its ownership of the retail giant. The Waltons set up the trust that same year and told Walmart that it had no set timetable for sales of company stock.

However, when it comes to the ownership of Walmart stores in America, there is no evidence to suggest that China holds any ownership stake. Walmart, a multinational retail corporation, was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and is still largely controlled by the Walton family.

World's third richest person Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway has sold its last Walmart shares, ending a relationship of over 20 years. The world's largest retailer was once among Berkshire's five biggest equity holdings as recently as 2014, valued at over $5 billion.

It is a publicly traded family-owned business, as the company is controlled by the Walton family. Sam Walton's heirs own over 50 percent of Walmart through both their holding company Walton Enterprises and their individual holdings.

81.8 billion USD (2024)

S. Robson Walton / Net worth

The largest shareholder of Walmart is the Walton family, who owns more than half of all Walmart shares. The second largest shareholder in Walmart is the Vanguard Group, who holds around 5% of total Walmart shares.

However, when it comes to the ownership of Walmart stores in America, there is no evidence to suggest that China holds any ownership stake. Walmart, a multinational retail corporation, was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and is still largely controlled by the Walton family.