5 Best Defensive Stocks For An Upcoming Crash

4. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67   

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units worldwide. The firm is among the best defensive stocks to invest in. On September 21, the company announced that it was planning to hire around 40,000 mostly seasonal workers for the upcoming holiday season. Last year, amid the pandemic recovery boom, the firm had announced plans to hire around 150,000 permanent employees to work over the holidays and beyond. 

On September 14, KeyBanc analyst Bradley Thomas initiated coverage of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) stock with an Overweight rating and a price target of $155, noting that the rating was underpinned by an outlook for defensive growth. 

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Florida-based investment firm GQG Partners is a leading shareholder in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), with 9.8 million shares worth more than $1.2 billion. 

In its Q2 2021 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“The pandemic has created challenges for businesses large and small; one major challenge for large essential retailers such as ClearBridge holdings Home Depot, Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and Costco has been ensuring adequate staffing to meet demand under trying conditions. All three instituted enhanced pay practices during the pandemic, with raises, unplanned bonuses and other benefits helping compensate employees for their efforts in a difficult environment. In September 2020 Walmart raised wages for 165,000 employees, including a number of entry positions to $15 an hour. It followed this in February with a raise for 425,000 workers that moved its average pay above $15 an hour.”