LGT Group Foundation Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• LGT Group Foundation increased its stake in Walmart by 7.1%, acquiring an additional 4,163 shares, bringing its total to 63,020 shares worth approximately $5.5 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard and Goldman Sachs, have also boosted their positions in Walmart, indicating strong investor confidence.
• Walmart reported a quarterly EPS of $0.61, exceeding analyst estimates, and declared a $0.235 dividend to be paid in September, reflecting ongoing shareholder returns.

LGT Group Foundation raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 63,020 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,163 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Full Sail Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Monument Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 94.2% in the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after buying an additional 26,685 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 156.7% in the first quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after buying an additional 33,370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 11.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock worth $698,787,000 after buying an additional 838,689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $106.87.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE:WMT traded down $2.57 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $101.05. 19,373,123 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,305,560. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.85 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $97.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.55. 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 $806.42 billion, a PE ratio of 43.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given 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 presently 40.17%.

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.