Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc.

Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 713,626 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 132,685 shares during the period. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $64,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,480,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at $422,003,883.93. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $96.69. 25,486,815 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,911,993. The stock has a market cap of $773.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The stock's fifty day moving average is $90.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.16. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.47 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.