Aviva PLC Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Aviva PLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,661,007 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 309,285 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Aviva PLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Aviva PLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $240,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted 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 acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.5 %

Walmart stock traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $83.65. The stock had a trading volume of 36,845,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,253,350. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $94.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.67. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. 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 $670.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.71, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 in the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective 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. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

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.