Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,762 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,199,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,613,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $130.79 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $125.76 and its 200 day moving average is $117.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.73, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.89 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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