Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,706,195 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 150,852 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.0% of Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in Walmart were worth $156,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after buying an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth 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 boosted its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.94.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $95.86 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $90.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price 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 12-month low of $59.44 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.