J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 460.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 466,236 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 383,063 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Walmart were worth $42,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $93.17 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Company 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.