Horizon Investment Services LLC Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Horizon Investment Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 28.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,536 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $85.08 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $682.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.30, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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.