Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Northern Trust Corp

Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of Northern Trust Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.54% of Walmart worth $3,943,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Raymond James reduced 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. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $96.02. The stock had a trading volume of 12,670,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,822,144. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.58 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The firm's 50 day moving average is $90.38 and its 200-day moving average is $91.05. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $768.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total transaction of $2,743,189.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,480,347 shares in the company, valued at $422,003,883.93. This trade represents a 0.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart 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.