Scotia Capital Inc. Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Scotia Capital Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,034,847 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,333 shares during the quarter. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $93,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in 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 valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,707.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $94.00. 10,248,426 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,631,923. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.95. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $753.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.