Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,292 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,999 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock traded down $2.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $87.10. The company had a trading volume of 32,983,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,069,447. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $698.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company's fifty day moving average is $94.25 and its 200-day moving average is $89.50. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.