Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Raised by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 25,917,346 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,643,413 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.5% of UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.32% of Walmart worth $2,341,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE WMT traded up $0.56 on Friday, reaching $96.49. The company had a trading volume of 13,664,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,837,120. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $92.33 and a 200-day moving average of $92.90. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.16 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company 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%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.