Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

Key Points

• BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its ownership of Walmart Inc. shares by 3.4%, bringing its total to 2,731,466 shares, which constitutes about 0.6% of its investment portfolio.
• Walmart reported quarterly earnings of $0.61 EPS, surpassing analysts' estimates and reflecting a 2.5% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, scheduled for payment on September 2nd, with an ex-dividend date of August 15th.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,731,466 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 88,992 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $239,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $99.96 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $797.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $97.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.56. 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 twelve month low of $72.52 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,334 shares of company stock valued at $13,526,350 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.29.

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.

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