Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 89.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,936 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 20,300 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.1% of Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after acquiring an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,848,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $541,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total transaction of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 87,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,993,095.80. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $1,207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 579,915 shares in the company, valued at $53,352,180. This represents a 2.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.
Walmart Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $2.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.70. 34,962,340 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,919,441. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.77 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.25. The firm has a market cap of $760.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.55.
Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 34.02%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.43.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WMT
Walmart Profile
(
Free Report)
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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