Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $1.01 Billion Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,550,898 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 197,230 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.7% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Walmart worth $1,014,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total value of $2,743,189.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,480,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,003,883.93. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,688,803 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.41 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. 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 market cap of $777.37 billion, a PE ratio of 41.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $96.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

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.

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