Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Key Points

• Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board has significantly increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 28,684.8%, making it the pension plan's 3rd largest position, with approximately $371 million worth of shares.
• Recent insider transactions show executives Kathryn J. Mclay and John D. Rainey sold shares valued at over $596,000, indicating a 0.38% and 0.35% decrease in their positions, respectively.
• Walmart's stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" from analysts, with target prices ranging from $91.00 to $111.00, reflecting positive outlooks despite varying opinions.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 28,684.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,229,354 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,214,661 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 5.5% of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board owned about 0.05% of Walmart worth $371,295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its position 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 during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Lipe & Dalton boosted its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $0.26 during trading on Thursday, hitting $103.10. 12,503,690 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,407,530. 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 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $822.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.06, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 posted $0.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target 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, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "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.