New England Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,585 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,700 shares during the quarter. New England Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after buying an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Transactions at Walmart
In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total value of $2,743,189.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,480,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at $422,003,883.93. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.
Walmart Price Performance
Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $96.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.14. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.44 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $774.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Announces Dividend
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 $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.94.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Walmart
About Walmart
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report).
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