Metis Global Partners LLC Purchases 7,117 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 212,210 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,117 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of Metis Global Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $19,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.44. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.20 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued 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 business 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 188,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,934,726 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Walmart 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.