Vident Advisory LLC Purchases 223,914 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 78.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 508,776 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 223,914 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 0.8% of Vident Advisory LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $45,969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 148,435 shares of company stock valued at $13,886,290. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $96.12. 6,668,916 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,804,101. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $769.08 billion, a PE ratio of 39.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current 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 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 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.