Crestline Management LP Acquires 10,510 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Crestline Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 77.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,137 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,510 shares during the quarter. Crestline Management LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $619,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $98.76 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.44 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $790.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.98, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.70.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho started 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. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.