Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $37.17 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 411,396 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 129,742 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $37,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were 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 directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $85.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $688.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.95. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last released 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. 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.