Bank OZK Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bank OZK raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 34.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 29,873 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,652 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.1% of Bank OZK’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Bank OZK’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 9,419 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $851,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Sage Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $343,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $19,952,000. Veridan Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $286,000. Finally, Waterway Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Waterway Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,984 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 2,152 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 188,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,934,726 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.20 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a 50-day moving average of $95.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.44. The stock has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.94, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

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.