Hancock Whitney Corp Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 172,960 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 17,327 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $15,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of WMT stock traded down $0.82 during trading on Friday, hitting $95.02. 15,311,845 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,802,960. The firm has a market capitalization of $761.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.58 and a 52-week high of $105.30. 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's fifty day moving average price is $90.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.76.

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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $102,518,542.50. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James cut their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Company 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.