Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 32.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 660,500 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 163,500 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.5% of Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $59,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 14.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $503,517,000 after buying an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 4,144 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,979,000. Weaver Consulting Group lifted its position in Walmart by 3.2% in the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 9,588 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $217,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 4.8 %

WMT stock opened at $83.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.52. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $666.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 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.