Northern Trust Corp Increases Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of Northern Trust Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.54% of Walmart worth $3,943,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $95.02 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43, a PEG 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 business's 50 day moving average is $90.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.91.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued 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 0.99%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

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.

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