Amundi Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Amundi grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,610,081 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,608,182 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.19% of Walmart worth $1,433,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of WMT opened at $91.68 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.56 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The business’s fifty day moving average is $96.19 and its 200-day moving average is $88.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $736.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders 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 1.03%. Walmart’s 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.