Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 63,920 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,775,000. Walmart accounts for about 2.7% of Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in 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 period. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $97.52. 17,168,296 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,858,663. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $92.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.12. The company has a market cap of $780.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.