369,864 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Bought by Benchstone Capital Management LP

Benchstone Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 369,864 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $33,417,000. Walmart makes up about 3.5% of Benchstone Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.56 on Monday, hitting $99.31. The stock had a trading volume of 12,433,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,829,426. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $90.59 and a 200-day moving average of $91.60. The company has a market capitalization of $794.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, 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 quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.39 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Raymond James cut their price target 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. Citigroup reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

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.