Victrix Investment Advisors Buys Shares of 42,139 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Victrix Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 42,139 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,000. Walmart comprises approximately 2.7% of Victrix Investment Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during 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 worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake 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 worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake 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 worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake 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 worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 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 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two investment 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, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $98.26 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $63.87 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.55. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued 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 40.17%.

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.

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.