Commerce Bank Has $97.59 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Commerce Bank lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,080,173 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 145,871 shares during the period. Commerce Bank's holdings in Walmart were worth $97,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $541,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in Walmart by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 9,052 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Aldebaran Financial Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 22,250 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,797,000 after acquiring an additional 2,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $504,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of WMT traded up $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. The company had a trading volume of 21,350,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,834,649. The stock has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $91.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 178,782 shares of company stock worth $16,785,305. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.