Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 578,794 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,369 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $52,294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 21.7% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 561,000 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $45,301,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the last quarter. BBR Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 38.2% during the third quarter. BBR Partners LLC now owns 67,398 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,442,000 after purchasing an additional 18,636 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Walmart by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 1,900,850 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $153,494,000 after buying an additional 82,106 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $85.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $686.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $94.76 and its 200-day moving average is $89.20.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.