Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Convergence Investment Partners LLC

Convergence Investment Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,645 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,393 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 1.5% of Convergence Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Convergence Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Four investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were 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 owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at $29,565,756.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at $29,565,756.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $60.24 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.34 and a 12 month high of $61.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $59.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.86. 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 has a market capitalization of $485.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

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.