J. Goldman & Co LP Purchases 34,270 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

J. Goldman & Co LP lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 890.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,118 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 34,270 shares during the quarter. J. Goldman & Co LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $95.86. The stock had a trading volume of 19,707,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,884,637. The company's 50 day moving average is $90.68 and its 200-day moving average is $92.14. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.44 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $766.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two investment 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Company 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.