Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Has $185.73 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,055,689 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 17,345 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Walmart were worth $185,732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group lowered 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded up $1.37 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $94.17. 11,658,197 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,636,153. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $754.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $92.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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.