Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stock Position Raised by Everstar Asset Management LLC

Everstar Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,820 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the period. Everstar Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $85.08 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $94.62 and its 200-day moving average is $89.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $682.04 billion, a PE ratio of 35.30, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

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.