Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Has $353.60 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its Walmart stake by 148.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 3.17 million shares valued at about $353.6 million.
• Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.74 versus $0.73 expected and revenue of $190.66 billion versus $188.37 billion estimated.
• Analysts remain generally bullish on Walmart, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $138.67, while the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2475 per share.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 148.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,171,842 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,895,477 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.0% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Walmart were worth $353,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $131.47 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $126.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Walmart Company Profile

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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