Unigestion Holding SA Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Unigestion Holding SA raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 120.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 128,301 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 70,113 shares during the quarter. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Walmart were worth $11,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $1.53 on Thursday, hitting $97.82. 15,788,355 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,879,584. The company has a 50 day moving average of $94.33 and a 200 day moving average of $93.67. The stock has a market cap of $782.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.64 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $105.16.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.