Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Acquires 1,895,477 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 148.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,171,842 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,895,477 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.0% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Walmart were worth $353,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.67.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.47 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $126.21 and a 200-day moving average of $118.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 36.13%.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.