Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 17,300 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 34.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 66,900 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 17,300 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $6,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $97.41. 3,719,009 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,803,650. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $92.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.16 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $779.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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.