Hayek Kallen Investment Management Cuts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hayek Kallen Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,337 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,055 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 4.1% of Hayek Kallen Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Hayek Kallen Investment Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,707.6% during the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho began coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $95.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $768.74 billion, a PE ratio of 39.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $90.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.58 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740. 45.58% 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.