Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Holdings Decreased by Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 279,558 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 20,452 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.0% of Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $25,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tandem Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $879,000. APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,707.6% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,410,000 after acquiring an additional 3,512,368 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its position in Walmart by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 278,317 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $25,146,000 after acquiring an additional 39,827 shares during the period. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $494,000. Finally, German American Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. German American Bancorp Inc. now owns 5,851 shares of the retailer's stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $2.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $92.81. 25,491,591 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,657,677. The stock has a market cap of $744.03 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's fifty day moving average is $92.43 and its 200 day moving average is $89.95. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. 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.