Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.80 Billion Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,015,818 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 514,036 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.1% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.52% of Walmart worth $3,796,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,517,000 after buying an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $270,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $538,000. Circle Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.3% in the third quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,748 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradition Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,792 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,921,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $85.08 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $682.04 billion, a PE ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.56 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

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.