Banque Pictet & Cie SA Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Banque Pictet & Cie SA boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 110.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,840 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 13,544 shares during the quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $96.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $773.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.43, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $97.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.45. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.