Nikko Asset Management Americas held its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,549 shares of the retailer’s stock at the end of the fourth quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas’ holdings in Wal-Mart Stores were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lowe FS raised its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.6% in the third quarter. Lowe FS now owns 314 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $20,000 after buying an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group raised its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.9% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group now owns 527,005 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,171,000 after buying an additional 4,841 shares in the last quarter. Northcoast Asset Management raised its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 4.4% in the third quarter. Northcoast Asset Management now owns 39,187 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,541,000 after buying an additional 1,651 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep raised its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 15.5% in the third quarter. ING Groep now owns 586,420 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,024,000 after buying an additional 78,853 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Company raised its position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 1.3% in the third quarter. Chelsea Counsel Company now owns 79,708 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,168,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter.

Shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) traded up 0.87% on Tuesday, reaching $64.00. 9,441,226 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.51 and its 200-day moving average is $63.90. The stock has a market cap of $204.92 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.70. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $56.30 and a one year high of $88.23.

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 17th. The retailer reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $117.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will post $4.53 EPS for the current year.

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Vetr lowered shares of Wal-Mart Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $71.34 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Bank of America reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Deutsche Bank cut their target price on shares of Wal-Mart Stores from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $68.00 target price (down previously from $73.00) on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.42.

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $58.46 per share, for a total transaction of $584,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,483,364.04. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is engaged in the operation of retail, wholesale and other units in various formats around the world. The Company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices (NYSE:WMT). The Company’s operations are conducted in three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates retail stores in all 50 states in the United States, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, with three primary store formats, as well as digital retail. The Walmart International segment consists of operations in 26 countries outside of the United States and includes numerous formats divided into three main categories: retail, wholesale and other. The Sam’s Club consists of membership-only warehouse clubs and operates in 48 states in the United States and in Puerto Rico, as well as digital retail.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:WMT

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