Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 687,854 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 122,434 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $62,179,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. World Investment Advisors raised its position in Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $359,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE WMT opened at $98.10 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $91.45 and a 200-day moving average of $92.66. The company has a market cap of $784.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.87 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho started 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total transaction of $166,723.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,207,148.49. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the 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 owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.