Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,912 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 567 shares during the quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $60.24 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.34 and a 1-year high of $61.65. The stock has a market cap of $485.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.48, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $59.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.86.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The firm had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.38%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 677,052,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,237,458,141.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,565,756.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total value of $337,066,728.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,035,551 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.75.

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.