Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $17.83 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• The Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its stake in Walmart by 13.3%, owning 203,124 shares worth approximately $17.83 million after selling 31,169 shares in the first quarter.
• Several large investors significantly increased their holdings in Walmart, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its stake by 9,896.9%, now owning 7.94 million shares valued at around $697.03 million.
• Walmart's stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" from analysts, with a target price average of $106.67, following multiple upgrades from firms like Evercore ISI and Mizuho.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 203,124 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 31,169 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Walmart were worth $17,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 9,896.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,922,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its position in shares of Walmart by 28,684.8% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 4,229,354 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $371,295,000 after purchasing an additional 4,214,661 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,683,991 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,201,318,000 after buying an additional 3,427,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Mizuho increased 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 raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $103.27 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $824.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.22.

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

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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