Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Trimmed by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 73.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,074,554 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,995,407 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Walmart were worth $97,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded down $4.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $83.09. The stock had a trading volume of 36,185,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,156,570. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.52. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $666.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.17.

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.