Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Acquires 518,960 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,103,126 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 518,960 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.05% of Walmart worth $360,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,707.6% during the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512,368 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $1.04 on Thursday, hitting $96.22. The company had a trading volume of 19,330,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,952,013. The stock has a market cap of $767.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.69. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $96.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.20. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.