Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 18,735 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of 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 18,735 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,693,000. Walmart accounts for 1.6% of Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $503,517,000 after purchasing an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its position 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 last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,325 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,565,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $782,000. Finally, Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $289,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $788.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $90.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.44 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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