Yoffe Investment Management LLC Purchases New Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Yoffe Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 31,625 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,857,000. Walmart comprises 2.9% of Yoffe Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

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

Walmart Stock Down 4.8 %

NYSE WMT traded down $4.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $83.09. The stock had a trading volume of 36,185,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,156,570. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $94.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.52. The company has a market capitalization of $666.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, 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.