State of Wyoming Purchases 11,364 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 791.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,799 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,364 shares during the period. State of Wyoming’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted 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 purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $98.26 on Friday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $91.19 and its 200-day moving average is $92.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.18 billion, a PE ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.87 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.