Capital Research Global Investors Acquires New Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,878,834 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $169,753,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Coastline Trust Co lifted its holdings in Walmart by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Coastline Trust Co now owns 42,662 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,855,000 after purchasing an additional 7,310 shares in the last quarter. Dnca Finance purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $20,991,000. Elevatus Welath Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Elevatus Welath Management now owns 6,671 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,562 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Walmart by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,996,064 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $270,694,000 after purchasing an additional 238,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 75,100 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE WMT traded up $0.62 on Thursday, hitting $95.58. 5,905,527 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,619,529. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.58 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $90.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $766.28 billion, a PE ratio of 39.67, a PEG 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $374,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $102,518,542.50. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.