Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.6% of Geode Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,167,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth 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 during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 3.3 %

WMT opened at $87.94 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $704.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.49, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,652 shares of company stock valued at $16,590,028 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.