Bolthouse Investments LLC Buys New Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bolthouse Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,999 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $271,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Three investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. 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 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $96.86. 7,743,706 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,243,861. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $90.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $774.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.58 and a one year high of $105.30. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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