Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $698.79 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. has increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 11.8%, now holding approximately 7.96 million shares valued at $698.79 million.
• Alongside other institutional investors, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its Walmart holdings by nearly 9,900%, highlighting significant interest in the retailer among hedge funds.
• Walmart's stock is currently rated as a "buy" by a majority of analysts, with an average target price of $106.67, indicating strong market support for the company's future performance.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 11.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 838,689 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Walmart worth $698,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 worth $2,922,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,706,201 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Walmart by 28,684.8% in the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 4,229,354 shares of the retailer's stock worth $371,295,000 after purchasing an additional 4,214,661 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 8.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 3,427,615 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,080,073 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Trading Up 4.0%

WMT stock opened at $103.27 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. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $824.14 billion, a PE ratio of 44.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50 day moving average price is $97.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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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