FCG Investment Co Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• FCG Investment Co increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 8.4% during Q1, owning 38,166 shares valued at approximately $3.35 million, making it the company's 12th largest position.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 per share in its most recent quarter, beating analysts' expectations, with revenues of $165.61 billion, a 2.5% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a dividend of $0.235 per share to be paid on September 2nd, representing a yield of 90.0%.

FCG Investment Co lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,166 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,972 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 2.1% of FCG Investment Co's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. FCG Investment Co's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Full Sail Capital LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Monument Capital Management boosted its stake in Walmart by 94.2% in the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Walmart by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock worth $698,787,000 after purchasing an additional 838,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 156.7% in the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $99.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $797.72 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $97.60 and a 200 day moving average of $95.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $72.52 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $109.29.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 144,334 shares of company stock worth $13,913,350. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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