BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Acquires 99,545 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 737,864 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 99,545 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.7% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Walmart were worth $66,666,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,707.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock worth $16,785,305. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $94.56. The stock had a trading volume of 10,340,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,809,910. The company's 50 day moving average is $91.09 and its 200-day moving average is $90.51. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. 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 company has a market cap of $758.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders 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 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.