Sunbeam Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 24,153 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 24,153 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,185,000. Walmart comprises approximately 2.0% of Sunbeam Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after buying an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after buying an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth 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. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $97.64. 4,630,475 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,677,314. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.16 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $781.24 billion, a PE ratio of 40.52, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $93.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.17.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

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.