Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 124,459 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 6,315 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,695 shares of company stock worth $13,710,162 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Thursday, hitting $95.12. 11,156,864 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,115,033. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $759.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.65, a PEG ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's fifty day moving average is $96.85 and its 200-day moving average is $94.59. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.