Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Purchases Shares of 1,300,041 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,300,041 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $130,004,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE WMT traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $95.86. 19,707,818 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,884,637. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.44 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $90.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.16. The company has a market cap of $766.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.94.

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.