Sovereign s Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sovereign s Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,400 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $488,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake 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 last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,207,148.49. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 134,035 shares of company stock valued at $12,445,082 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,595,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,857,220. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.16 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $91.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.70. The company has a market cap of $782.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Walmart 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.