AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 995,080 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 22.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,334,041 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 995,080 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of AQR Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Walmart worth $481,931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its holdings in Walmart by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its holdings in Walmart by 213.8% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $95.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $762.88 billion, a PE ratio of 39.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $90.40 and a 200-day moving average of $91.02. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.58 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

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.

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