Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Purchases Shares of 497,899 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 497,899 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $44,985,000. Walmart makes up approximately 0.6% of Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in 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 worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $95.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $761.76 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.