PCG Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

PCG Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 8,318 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $752,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. raised its position in Walmart by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 146,041 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,195,000 after buying an additional 2,166 shares during the last quarter. Sherman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $677,000. Onefund LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 11,730 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,060,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 198,763 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $17,958,000 after purchasing an additional 2,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Middleton & Co. Inc. MA grew its position in Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA now owns 10,211 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $923,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.20 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $95.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.58.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

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.