Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,351,354 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 159,612 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $916,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 201.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 165.4% in the 1st quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 270,147 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,255,000 after purchasing an additional 168,346 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 307.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 160,292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,645,000 after buying an additional 120,919 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 149.8% during the first quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 73,785 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,440,000 after buying an additional 44,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $1,497,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.7 %

Walmart stock opened at $84.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $676.90 billion, a PE ratio of 43.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $85.54.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 384,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,765,104.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 384,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,765,104.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Walmart from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.92.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.