BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,094,812 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 108,437 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 0.6% of BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $98,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.81 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. 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 stock has a market cap of $782.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50 day moving average of $91.72 and a 200-day moving average of $92.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock valued at $12,445,082 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

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.