Norden Group LLC Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Norden Group LLC cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,622 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 295 shares during the quarter. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. MMA Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 3,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 132,091 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 11,002 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 51,870 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,698,000 after purchasing an additional 12,738 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 92,389 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,347,000 after purchasing an additional 9,162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC grew its position in Walmart by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 7,421 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.20 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.94, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $95.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

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.