Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,155,987 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 114,566 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in Walmart were worth $194,793,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

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Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock traded up $2.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $87.66. The company had a trading volume of 14,687,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,905,278. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $94.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.40. 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 company has a market capitalization of $702.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.