O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $94.84 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,049,715 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 118,803 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $94,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $85.08 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $682.04 billion, a PE ratio of 35.30, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.62 and a 200-day moving average of $89.32.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

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.