Nebula Research & Development LLC Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Nebula Research & Development LLC reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 26.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,252 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,162 shares during the quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,095,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its stake in Walmart by 1,707.6% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512,368 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.02. 15,311,845 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,830,103. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.58 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.58 and a 200 day moving average of $90.83. The company has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.