Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 118,389 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,586,413 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 118,389 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.06% of Walmart worth $414,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 176,652 shares of company stock valued at $16,590,028. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $2.79 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $87.94. 30,255,294 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,963,820. The company has a market cap of $704.97 billion, a PE ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.40.

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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

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.