Primecap Management Co. CA Purchases 28,050 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Primecap Management Co. CA increased its shareholding in Walmart by 41.7%, purchasing an additional 28,050 shares, bringing its total ownership to 95,250 shares valued at approximately $8.36 million.
• Insider selling included EVP John R. Furner, who sold 13,125 shares for about $1.25 million, reducing his stake by 1.39%, while another EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares valued at $216,260.
• Walmart's latest quarterly earnings showed a net income margin of 2.75% with earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.58.

Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 41.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 95,250 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 28,050 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Lipe & Dalton grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total value 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 approximately $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,080,073. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $103.10 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $822.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Robert W. Baird increased 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. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Walmart Company 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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