Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases 136,998 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 114.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,366 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 136,998 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Walmart were worth $21,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0%

WMT traded down $1.00 on Thursday, hitting $94.80. 17,813,539 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,893,103. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.95 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $758.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $95.31 and its 200-day moving average is $94.01.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.