Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,496,264 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 168,032 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.5% of Voya Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $496,409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $95.01 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $58.58 and a one year high of $105.30. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $761.68 billion, a PE ratio of 39.42, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

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.