Rahlfs Capital LLC Buys New Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Rahlfs Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 61,044 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,515,000. Walmart accounts for approximately 5.1% of Rahlfs Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,072,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,332,000 after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 4.8 %

WMT opened at $83.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.52. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $666.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 1.13%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. 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.