Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Acquires New Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 14,483 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing 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 purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $0.35 on Wednesday, hitting $97.23. 11,099,384 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,831,760. The company has a 50 day moving average of $92.77 and a 200-day moving average of $93.15. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $777.93 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reiterated 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

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.