Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 5,905,301 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,808,139 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,905,301 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 0.51% of Walmart worth $3,582,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton boosted its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% during the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.89.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $102.3860 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.67. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.59 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $817.08 billion, a PE ratio of 43.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,737,000.84. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 84,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,161,365. Insiders own 0.10% 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.