Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases New Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,435,868 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $129,992,000. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $3.12 on Wednesday, reaching $84.91. The stock had a trading volume of 15,584,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,350,894. The business's 50 day moving average is $93.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.67. The company has a market cap of $680.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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.