Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $180.21 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,994,518 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 99,132 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Walmart were worth $180,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whelan Financial increased its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.56 on Friday, hitting $96.49. 13,664,025 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,861,385. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.04, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company's fifty day moving average is $92.33 and its 200 day moving average is $92.97.

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, beating 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given 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 is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.