Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s 3rd Largest Position

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 132,091 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,002 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 3.2% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 51,870 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,698,000 after buying an additional 12,738 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 92,389 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,347,000 after purchasing an additional 9,162 shares during the period. Maia Wealth LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 7,421 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,454 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $610,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.20 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $792.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $95.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.58.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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