Teacher Retirement System of Texas Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 39.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,125,699 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 602,255 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Walmart were worth $192,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $86.36 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.92. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $693.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.56 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Walmart 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.