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

Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 14,493 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000. Walmart makes up about 2.8% of Sunbeam Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whelan Financial boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $96.49 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.04, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $64.16 and a one year high of $105.30. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $92.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.90. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.

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