Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 99,537 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,000,387 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 99,537 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.5% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $180,735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 3.1 %

WMT stock opened at $91.68 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 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.