KBC Group NV Acquires 72,180 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,084,838 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 72,180 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Walmart were worth $95,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,124,000. Finally, GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,658,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.41 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $777.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The business's 50-day moving average is $96.80 and its 200 day moving average is $94.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total value of $2,743,189.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,480,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,003,883.93. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,688,803 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart 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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