Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 202,576 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 17,631 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $31,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE WMT traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $58.85. The company had a trading volume of 15,459,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,667,303. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.34 and a fifty-two week high of $61.65. The company has a market capitalization of $474.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $59.99 and its 200 day moving average is $55.90.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The firm had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.2075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at $29,565,756.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 530,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,565,756.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Europe boosted their target price on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

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.