Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,496,264 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 168,032 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.5% of Voya Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.07% of Walmart worth $496,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $95.02. 15,311,845 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,802,960. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $90.58 and a 200 day moving average of $90.76. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.58 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Company 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.