Allianz SE Acquires New Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Allianz SE purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 164,290 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $14,879,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock worth $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $270,000. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Skye Global Management LP increased its position in shares of Walmart by 252.5% in the third quarter. Skye Global Management LP now owns 104,000 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,398,000 after buying an additional 74,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 18,054 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,458,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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Walmart Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of WMT stock traded up $2.79 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $87.94. The company had a trading volume of 29,406,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,215,344. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company's fifty day moving average is $94.62 and its 200 day moving average is $89.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $704.97 billion, a PE ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.