Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.80 Billion Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 514,036 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.1% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Walmart worth $3,796,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its stake in Walmart by 213.8% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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Walmart Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.05 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $89.88. 18,727,664 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,003,922. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $720.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $94.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.51. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % 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, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at $348,852,396.42. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

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.