Wesleyan Assurance Society Has $13.22 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wesleyan Assurance Society reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 146,250 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. Wesleyan Assurance Society's holdings in Walmart were worth $13,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after buying an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position 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 buying an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $784.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71, 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 quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $91.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.87 and a 52-week 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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 652,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,207,148.49. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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