Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Invests $5.79 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 64,075 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,789,000. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $95.86 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $90.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.16. 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 twelve month low of $59.44 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $766.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.78, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.94.

Walmart Company 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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