Generali Investments Management Co LLC Takes $2.59 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 28,642 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB increased its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $431,632,000 after buying an additional 18,644 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,517,000 after buying an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $336,000. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in Walmart by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 503,665 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $40,669,000 after buying an additional 21,800 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $95.56 and its 200 day moving average is $88.93. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $687.13 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.20.

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.