Acadian Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 210.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,726,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,170,744 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $103,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 199.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 411,745,334 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,774,717,000 after purchasing an additional 274,229,968 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,674,652,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 183.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 29,172,985 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,755,339,000 after acquiring an additional 18,865,484 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 14,035,473 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $844,514,000 after acquiring an additional 9,544,958 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank grew 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 acquiring an additional 8,674,100 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $70.75. 11,665,526 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,789,591. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $66.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $569.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $71.33.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Walmart from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Walmart from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.09.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total transaction of $1,944,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 144,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,386,389.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 3,633,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $242,737,840.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 636,898,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,544,840,574.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total value of $1,944,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 144,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,386,389.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,527,738 shares of company stock valued at $953,190,060. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.