BlueSpruce Investments LP Cuts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BlueSpruce Investments LP reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 59.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,400,054 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,472,824 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 4.4% of BlueSpruce Investments LP's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. BlueSpruce Investments LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $216,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4 %

Walmart stock opened at $98.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.39 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $90.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.47. The stock has a market cap of $789.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,657 shares of company stock worth $12,230,529 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.

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