Saratoga Research & Investment Management Has $47.22 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 186.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 784,747 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 511,086 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 2.1% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $47,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,674,652,000. BlueSpruce Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $568,419,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 15,371.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,511,225 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $553,545,000 after buying an additional 3,488,530 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Walmart by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,235,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,190,194,000 after buying an additional 2,150,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Walmart by 207.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,279,715 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $137,170,000 after buying an additional 1,537,828 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.20, for a total transaction of $895,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 645,540 shares in the company, valued at $44,025,828. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,499,762 shares of company stock valued at $951,294,838 in the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.97.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $67.71 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $544.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.41. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $69.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. Walmart’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.