Stonegate Investment Group LLC Acquires 1,323,849 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 205.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,968,275 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,323,849 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 3.7% of Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $118,431,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Walmart by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value 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 approximately $236,187,943.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 19th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.75.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.32. The company had a trading volume of 14,196,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,705,756. The company has a market capitalization of $478.11 billion, a PE ratio of 31.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.90. 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 one year low of $48.34 and a one year high of $61.65.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 43.38%.

Walmart 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.