O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,049,715 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 118,803 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $94,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WMT. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $85.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.56 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $94.62 and a 200-day moving average of $89.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $682.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.