BNP Paribas Has $39.62 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BNP Paribas lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 437,817 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 48,650 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.7% of BNP Paribas' investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. BNP Paribas' holdings in Walmart were worth $39,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE WMT traded up $0.56 on Monday, hitting $99.31. 12,433,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,829,424. The company's 50-day moving average price is $90.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.60. The company has a market capitalization of $794.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.39 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Walmart 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.