Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Acquires 92,468 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,264,104 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 92,468 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Walmart were worth $85,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 199.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 411,745,334 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,774,717,000 after buying an additional 274,229,968 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Walmart by 181.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 56,861,234 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,421,342,000 after purchasing an additional 36,625,314 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 183.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 29,172,985 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,755,339,000 after purchasing an additional 18,865,484 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 187.4% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 13,303,200 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,454,000 after purchasing an additional 8,674,100 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 284.0% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 11,122,273 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $669,227,000 after purchasing an additional 8,225,552 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 359,616 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.25, for a total value of $28,139,952.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 603,989,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,262,194,181.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,369,039 shares of company stock worth $959,826,083 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.99.

Walmart Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $78.05 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $627.80 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $81.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.