Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,039,149 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 244,551 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $93,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors increased its position in 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. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $98.26 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business's 50 day moving average is $91.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.55. The company has a market cap of $786.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.87 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given 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 presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.

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