Woodline Partners LP Acquires Shares of 260,675 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 260,675 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $23,552,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Walmart by 14.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Walmart by 8.9% during 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 during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares in the company, valued at $61,207,148.49. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $97.81 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $91.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.70. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $782.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James decreased their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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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