State of Wyoming Has $1.16 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

State of Wyoming lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 791.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,799 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 11,364 shares during the period. State of Wyoming's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho began coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $98.26 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.87 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $786.18 billion, a PE ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $91.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.