SGL Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• SGL Investment Advisors Inc. significantly increased its investment in Walmart Inc. by 539.1% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 25,520 shares, bringing its total holdings to 30,254 shares valued at approximately $2.95 million.
• In the same quarter, several other hedge funds also boosted their stakes in Walmart, with Bear Mountain Capital increasing its ownership by 98.2%, highlighting increased institutional interest in the company's stock.
• Walmart reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61, exceeding expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 2.5%, underscoring its strong financial performance.

SGL Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 539.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,254 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 25,520 shares during the quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Lipe & Dalton lifted its stake in Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, 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 directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 143,912 shares of company stock worth $13,863,813. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $98.40 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $785.27 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $96.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.05.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

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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