63,920 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Bought by Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 63,920 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,775,000. Walmart comprises 2.7% of Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after buying an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Up 0.5%

Walmart stock traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $97.77. The stock had a trading volume of 4,889,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,799,691. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $782.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.16 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.00 and a 200 day moving average of $93.17.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is 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.