Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,787,171 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 789 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.3% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.20% of Walmart worth $1,426,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,408,452,000 after buying an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,796,129,000 after acquiring an additional 514,036 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $93.17 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year 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. The firm has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $91.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.