Northern Trust Corp Has $3.78 Billion Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 1.2%, now holding approximately 43.1 million shares, which represents 0.6% of its investment portfolio.
• Analysts are generally optimistic about Walmart, with several upgrades to their price targets, increasing the average price target to $109.29 and a consensus rating of "Buy".
• Walmart declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, which will be paid on September 2nd, representing a yield of 90.0%.

Northern Trust Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,100,763 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 541,173 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.6% of Northern Trust Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.54% of Walmart worth $3,783,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its position in shares of Walmart by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $169,753,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.6140 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $101.3140. 16,867,750 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,559,792. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $97.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.62. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.72 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $808.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 141,989 shares of company stock valued at $13,692,478. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.