Ethic Inc. Buys 58,206 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ethic Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 157.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 95,211 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 58,206 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.0%

WMT traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $96.75. 26,756,708 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,882,647. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock's 50-day moving average is $90.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.04. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.44 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $774.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.15, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 39.00%.

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.