Allianz SE Takes Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Allianz SE acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 164,290 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $14,879,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Tucker Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 1,272 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 560,069 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $50,602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Intrust Bank NA grew its position in Walmart by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 44,843 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 11,286 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6 %

WMT stock opened at $85.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $682.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $94.62 and a 200-day moving average of $89.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

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.