Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,901,965 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 216,747 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $262,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 14.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $503,517,000 after buying an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $336,000. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 4.2% during the third quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,681 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 4.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 12.7% in the third quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 12,548 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $87.56 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $701.92 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $95.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.19. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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.