Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Raised by Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 28,039.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,201,845 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,197,574 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.1% of Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $108,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $87.44 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $702.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.61. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company 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 is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.