Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $20.17 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 229,793 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,498 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.6% of Securian Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its position in Walmart by 1,707.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,765,159 shares of the retailer's stock worth $882,282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182,477 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total transaction of $1,887,041.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $430,724,989.77. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of WMT opened at $94.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.52. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

About Walmart

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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