China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 394.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,545 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 29,953 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Liberty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $270,000. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Walmart by 189.4% in the 1st quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 917,625 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $55,213,000 after acquiring an additional 600,521 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 290.7% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 270,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,250,000 after acquiring an additional 200,947 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 189.4% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 643,848 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,740,000 after buying an additional 421,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $723,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,784,857. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $82.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $665.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.02, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $83.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $79.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.63.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Tigress Financial raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $83.83.

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.