CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co cut its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 373,286 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 90,352 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co's holdings in Walmart were worth $33,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT traded up $1.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $93.17. The company had a trading volume of 21,350,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,834,649. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $91.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.40. The firm has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week 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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 in the last 90 days. Company 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.