GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. Buys Shares of 72,266 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 72,266 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,529,000. Walmart makes up approximately 2.7% of GKV Capital Management Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 15,768 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,860 shares in the last quarter. Capital Square LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 1,795 shares during the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 8,935.5% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 317,147 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,654,000 after buying an additional 313,637 shares in the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,020 shares of the retailer's stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coleford Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,486,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup restated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of 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 price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,782 shares of company stock worth $16,785,305 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. 21,350,174 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,819,973. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $91.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.26. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.