Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake by 1.5% in Q4, adding 12,393 shares to hold 854,598 shares valued at $95,211,000, which is 0.7% of its portfolio and its 29th largest holding.
• Insiders, including EVP Christopher James Nicholas (2,900 shares) and CEO John R. Furner (13,125 shares), sold stock on April 16 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; insiders have sold 167,195 shares valued at $20.98M in the last 90 days and now own 0.10% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with a $137.79 target (notable raises: DA Davidson $150, Oppenheimer $140), and Walmart recently beat quarterly EPS while setting FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 854,598 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 12,393 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $95,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $137.79.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $130.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50-day moving average is $125.76 and its 200 day moving average is $117.90. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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