Banque Transatlantique SA Makes New $145.65 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,609,423 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $145,647,000. Walmart accounts for 3.4% of Banque Transatlantique SA's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock worth $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $541,000. Pensionfund Sabic grew its stake in Walmart by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 50,000 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,518,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 60,078 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,428,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Market Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 4,180 shares of the retailer's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.31. 12,433,795 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,829,426. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $90.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $794.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.39 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 over the last three months. Company 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.