Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by R Squared Ltd

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd significantly increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 360.4%, owning 12,550 shares valued at approximately $1.1 million.
• Walmart's recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting an EPS of $0.61 against an estimated $0.58, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 2.5%.
• Analysts have mostly rated Walmart as a "buy" or "outperform," with a consensus price target of $106.67 based on 30 buy ratings.

R Squared Ltd lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 360.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,550 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,824 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.2% of R Squared Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. R Squared Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lipe & Dalton lifted its stake in Walmart by 95.2% during 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 last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $98.40 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $96.86 and its 200-day moving average is $95.03. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $785.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,912 shares of company stock worth $13,863,813. 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.

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