Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 497,899 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $44,985,000. Walmart makes up approximately 0.6% of Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $1,256,000. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC now owns 67,179 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,070,000 after buying an additional 12,059 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 139,524 shares of the retailer's stock worth $12,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,506 shares during the period. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,508 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,040,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $488,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded up $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $96.43. 6,891,572 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,779,930. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.58 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $90.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $771.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.01, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Company 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.