Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Sells 19,781 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 274,226 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 19,781 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.5% of Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co's holdings in Walmart were worth $24,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock worth $15,984,929. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $779.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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's fifty day moving average is $90.50 and its 200-day moving average is $91.21. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.58 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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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