B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Walmart by 41%, owning 296,945 shares valued at $26.07 million as of the latest SEC disclosure.
• Several other institutional investors, including Nuveen LLC and Wellington Management Group LLP, also significantly increased their holdings in Walmart in the first quarter.
• Walmart's stock recently reported a 0.35% decrease in insider positions after executive vice presidents sold shares worth approximately $300,000 combined in early August.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 41.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 296,945 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 86,299 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Walmart were worth $26,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $2,532,331,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 9,896.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 30.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,922,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Walmart by 527.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,739,038 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $591,620,000 after purchasing an additional 5,664,484 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in Walmart by 28,684.8% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 4,229,354 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $371,295,000 after purchasing an additional 4,214,661 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total value of $166,128.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 647,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,003,879.64. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 101,966 shares of company stock worth $9,858,673 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 18th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.59.

Walmart Stock Down 0.0%

Walmart stock opened at $96.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $766.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a PEG ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

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.

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