Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 9.3%, acquiring 186,554 additional shares, leading to a total of $191.99 million in value.
• Walmart's shares rose 0.9%, with a market cap of $777.72 billion and earnings per share of $0.61 for the most recent quarter, surpassing analyst expectations.
• The company declared a $0.235 dividend with a yield of 0.95%, and currently has a payout ratio of 40.17%.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,186,941 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 186,554 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.6% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Walmart were worth $191,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 14,486 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 4.2% in the first quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 29,576 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 146,453 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $12,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allium Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $398,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.85 on Friday, hitting $97.45. 12,845,633 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,596,366. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.86. The firm has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was 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 $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 126,696 shares of company stock worth $12,222,245 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Walmart 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.