Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc.

Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,355 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 2.1% of Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,923,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $97.81 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $785.78 billion, a PE ratio of 40.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.18 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.10.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 146,528 shares of company stock worth $13,849,185 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.