Sarasin & Partners LLP Purchases Shares of 65,000 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 65,000 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,249,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE WMT traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $99.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,099,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,875,514. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.64 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $795.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.24, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $94.05 and a 200 day moving average of $93.63.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research 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 was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.16.

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.