Employees Retirement System of Texas Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Employees Retirement System of Texas reduced its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,423,689 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 46,667 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.1% of Employees Retirement System of Texas' portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Employees Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Walmart were worth $128,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,099,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,831,754. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $92.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $777.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.