Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $152.93 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,692,598 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 126,135 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Walmart were worth $152,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $431,632,000 after acquiring an additional 18,644 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 18.9% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 68,449 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,527,000 after acquiring an additional 10,869 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 691,596 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $55,846,000 after acquiring an additional 25,386 shares during the period. Eastern Bank lifted its position in Walmart by 128.0% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 1,346,897 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $108,762,000 after acquiring an additional 756,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maripau Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Maripau Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,741 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of WMT opened at $103.90 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.60 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $834.69 billion, a PE ratio of 42.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $95.56 and a 200 day moving average of $86.17.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.87.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.