Rathbones Group PLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,524,573 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 57,882 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $137,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded up $2.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $92.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,628,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,562,827. The stock has a market cap of $744.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The business's 50-day moving average price is $92.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % 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 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

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.