Payden & Rygel Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Payden & Rygel lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 243,300 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 13,500 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.9% of Payden & Rygel’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 106,972 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,665,000 after purchasing an additional 7,487 shares during the period. Aviva PLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 2,661,007 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $240,422,000 after acquiring an additional 309,285 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Gladstone Capital Management LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $33,337,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $129,992,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at $348,852,396.42. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of WMT opened at $83.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $94.01 and its 200 day moving average is $89.52. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $666.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

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.