Prudential PLC Sells 141,856 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Prudential PLC decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 40.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 207,465 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 141,856 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $18,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after buying an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock traded down $4.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.09. 36,185,150 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,156,570. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $666.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.52.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given 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 yield of 1.13%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.