Sarasin & Partners LLP Makes New $5.27 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 60,023 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,269,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gibson Capital LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 27.6% during the first quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 7,805 shares of the retailer's stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 1,686 shares during the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.4% during the first quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 171,784 shares of the retailer's stock worth $15,081,000 after buying an additional 11,798 shares during the last quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $257,000. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the first quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 41,516 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,645,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walker Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.3% during the first quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC now owns 129,346 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,355,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE WMT traded down $1.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $95.70. 16,357,466 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,868,540. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.90 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $765.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $95.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.99.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.68.

Walmart Company Profile

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.