242,854 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Bought by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 242,854 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $21,942,000. Walmart comprises 0.6% of Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 22,692 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after buying an additional 2,267 shares during the period. Entrewealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $263,000. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 91,815 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 820,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $74,124,000 after purchasing an additional 48,145 shares during the period. Finally, Custos Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Up 2.6 %

Walmart stock opened at $87.54 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $95.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.88. The stock has a market cap of $703.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.32, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors 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 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.