Prudential Financial Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,773,505 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 714,028 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.6% of Prudential Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $431,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Interchange Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,079 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $640,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its position in Walmart by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 47,038 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the period. Horrell Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 86,603 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,825,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $326,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $85.94 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.12. 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 $688.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley restated 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. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was 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 owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Company 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.