Aquatic Capital Management LLC Takes $28.63 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 316,829 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $28,626,000. Walmart makes up approximately 0.8% of Aquatic Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth 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 grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1,707.6% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $324,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512,368 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $95.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.58 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.76. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Walmart

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.