Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Increased by Hoey Investments Inc.

Hoey Investments Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 69.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,829 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 21,590 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.8% of Hoey Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Hoey Investments Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after acquiring an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $85.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $94.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.40. The stock has a market cap of $682.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.30, a PEG 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.