Chancellor Financial Group WB LP Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Chancellor Financial Group WB LP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,424 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $400,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE WMT traded up $1.47 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.57. The stock had a trading volume of 29,968,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,929,072. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $788.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $64.16 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.36.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were 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. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.