Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Sells 6,578 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,467 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,578 shares during the period. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $93.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,858,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,742,933. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $92.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.99, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.