Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 140,375 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 43.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,700 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 140,375 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $16,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,404,000. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,959,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,377,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $19,068,000. Finally, Defined Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $219,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. 21,350,174 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,797,031. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.18. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Three 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, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.