Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Has $1.59 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,562 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,117 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.0% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Swedbank AB increased its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after purchasing an additional 18,644 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 35,216 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,844,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,987 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 18,499 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 4,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 165,950 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,400,000 after acquiring an additional 13,170 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $792.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $95.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.58. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.20 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

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.