Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 992,355 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,526,114 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 992,355 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.0% of Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.08% of Walmart worth $589,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of WMT traded up $2.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $92.81. 25,491,591 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,657,677. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $92.43 and a 200-day moving average of $89.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 issued 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid 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 (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.