Clare Market Investments LLC Takes $1.12 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 12,344 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,115,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $431,632,000 after purchasing an additional 18,644 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 14.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares during the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $237,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 132,180 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $10,674,000 after purchasing an additional 10,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSG Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 4,292 shares of the retailer's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of WMT traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $85.73. The company had a trading volume of 9,459,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,768,452. The stock has a market capitalization of $688.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $96.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.61. 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 quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $103.20.

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.