Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,701 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,092 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.0% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $93.64 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $752.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.85, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.18 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $95.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.00%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,825,769.20. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 194,377 shares of company stock worth $18,231,904. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.43.

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.