Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $1.39 Billion Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 15,795,180 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 8,009 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 0.3% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.20% of Walmart worth $1,386,235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 425,961,042 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $37,395,120,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224,154 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 30.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,922,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,706,201 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,696,396,000 after purchasing an additional 233,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 29,188,142 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,562,427,000 after buying an additional 823,020 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $100.91 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $805.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.52 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $97.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.58.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $421,737,000.84. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 144,334 shares of company stock worth $13,913,350 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Mizuho reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $107.47.

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.

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