Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Sells 18,560 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 237,310 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 18,560 shares during the quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,201 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,796,129,000 after purchasing an additional 514,036 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup restated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36 % 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE WMT traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.02. 15,311,845 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,802,963. The stock has a market capitalization of $761.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G 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 business's 50-day moving average is $90.58 and its 200-day moving average is $90.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Walmart Company 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.