Vinva Investment Management Ltd Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 221,632 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 15,980 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.8% of Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.20.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $95.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $687.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

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.