BNP Paribas Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

BNP Paribas boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 375,913 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,753 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.2% of BNP Paribas’ portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Walmart were worth $36,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth $26,000. PFS Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total transaction of $2,127,411.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,334,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $474,958,228.79. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total value of $406,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,040,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $105,741,441.65. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 158,013 shares of company stock valued at $16,657,847 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $118.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.31.

Walmart Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of WMT opened at $113.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $105.75 and a 200 day moving average of $101.22. The company has a market cap of $902.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.57, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.64. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $116.27.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

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.