Bay Capital Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 5,536 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bay Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,536 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $500,000.

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

Walmart Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of WMT traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $85.63. 8,226,920 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,194,564. The company has a market cap of $686.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.22.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two research 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.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.