Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 203,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,185 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $18,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $85.08 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $682.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.62 and a 200-day moving average of $89.25.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. 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 report on Tuesday, March 11th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.