Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Capital Investment Counsel Inc

Capital Investment Counsel Inc increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 117,313 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 3.2% of Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $18,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $40,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $59.32 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.34 and a 1 year high of $61.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.90. The company has a market capitalization of $478.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued 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 yield of 1.40%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 43.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,565,756.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at $236,187,943.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,565,756.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,035,551. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

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.