Banco Santander S.A. Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 10.2%, owning 677,013 shares after purchasing an additional 62,623 shares in the first quarter.
• Walmart's recent earnings report revealed a revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and a net profit margin of 2.75%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Walmart, with multiple institutions raising their price targets, the highest being $120.00.

Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 677,013 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 62,623 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.7% of Banco Santander S.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $59,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the period. Leslie Global Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Milestone Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 156.7% during the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after acquiring an additional 33,370 shares during the period. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,404,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.40 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock's fifty day moving average is $96.86 and its 200 day moving average is $95.03. The stock has a market cap of $785.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,912 shares of company stock valued at $13,863,813 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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