Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,401,195 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 695,225 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.6% of Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned 0.05% of Walmart worth $397,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $576,000. Piedmont Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Betterment LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the retailer's stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 958 shares during the last quarter. Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. now owns 35,923 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,246,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leslie Global Wealth LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.0 %

WMT traded down $0.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $97.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,875,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,236,598. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.58 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $90.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 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. Corporate 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.