Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Acquires Shares of 14,483 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,483 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,283,000 after buying an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,855 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,252,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,975 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $96.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.04, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.16 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $92.33 and a 200-day moving average of $92.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. KeyCorp upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.