Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,526,114 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 992,355 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.0% of Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Walmart worth $589,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in 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. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Stock Down 2.7 %

NYSE WMT opened at $81.59 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30. 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 stock has a market cap of $654.05 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.