Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 18,896 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 737,090 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,896 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $66,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $91.68 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $736.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, 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. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.44. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

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.