Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 184.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,567,533 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,144,393 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 0.5% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $756,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kiley Juergens Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $922,000. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 154.1% in the first quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning now owns 33,168 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 20,114 shares in the last quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 220.5% in the first quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 6,964 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 4,791 shares during the last quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 195.6% during the first quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 101,460 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,105,000 after purchasing an additional 67,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silverlake Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 189.2% in the 1st quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,173 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 7,309 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $241,239,559.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $68.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $69.04. The firm has a market cap of $548.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.71.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.47.

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.