Bay Capital Advisors LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bay Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,536 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $500,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $87.56 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.19. 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 stock has a market cap of $701.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

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.