Texas Bank & Trust Co Purchases New Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Texas Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 30,637 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,768,000. Walmart accounts for 1.1% of Texas Bank & Trust Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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 corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 2.0%

WMT stock opened at $98.26 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $91.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.87 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $786.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

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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