Mach 1 Financial Group LLC Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Mach 1 Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,946 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,332 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 3.0% of Mach 1 Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Seven Mile Advisory grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 3.4% in the third quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Stifel Europe lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,196,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,705,756. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.34 and a 1-year high of $61.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.90. The stock has a market cap of $478.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total transaction of $21,020,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 652,044,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,729,056,822.73. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total transaction of $21,020,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 652,044,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,729,056,822.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 value of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 530,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,565,756.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,035,551. 46.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.