Vise Technologies Inc. Boosts Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 30.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 138,586 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 32,665 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.0% of Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 2.4% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE WMT traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $97.39. 6,478,669 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,822,646. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $779.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $92.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.12. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $64.16 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

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.