Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 253.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 398,453 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 285,647 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $36,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $95.16 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $90.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.02. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.58 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $762.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.49, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.