Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Has $59.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 738,227 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 28,335 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $59,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 138.3% during the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 253.0% during the first quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 216.4% in the 1st quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 503 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $82.96.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $80.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $650.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.57, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $77.63 and a 200-day moving average of $69.39. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $81.82.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,267,901. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.