Ascent Capital Management LLC Invests $410,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ascent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,537 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $410,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 2.9 %

NYSE WMT traded up $2.44 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $87.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,594,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,834,122. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.80. The stock has a market cap of $705.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Remove Ads

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.07%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on WMT. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.20.

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.