Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 24.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,010,582 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 197,029 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $91,306,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during 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. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 28.6% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 10,221 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $825,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares in the last quarter. Amarillo National Bank boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.9% in the third quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 84,982 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,862,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.1% in the third quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.5% in the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 5,232 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $422,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 194,377 shares of company stock valued at $18,231,904. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $93.64 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.18 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $752.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.85, 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $95.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.89.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

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.