Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $456.83 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Walmart stake by 207.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 2.72 million additional shares. Its holdings totaled 4.03 million shares worth approximately $456.8 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with major investors including Vanguard, Geode Capital, Norges Bank and AQR Capital adding to or initiating Walmart positions. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 26.76% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a positive outlook, with Walmart carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $138.56. The company recently reported revenue growth of 7.4% year over year and quarterly revenue above expectations.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 207.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,033,440 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,720,535 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.05% of Walmart worth $456,827,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $112.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.42 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The stock's 50-day moving average is $114.58 and its 200-day moving average is $121.73. The stock has a market cap of $891.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 71,439 shares of company stock worth $8,544,532. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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