Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,130 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

WMT stock opened at $100.55 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.80. The company has a market capitalization of $801.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $109.57.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.18, for a total transaction of $2,081,006.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,354,162 shares in the company, valued at $466,679,083.16. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 133,888 shares of company stock worth $13,835,383. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.