Gladstone Capital Management LLP Invests $33.34 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Gladstone Capital Management LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 368,974 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $33,337,000. Walmart accounts for about 2.8% of Gladstone Capital Management LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

Remove Ads

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $4.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.09. 36,185,150 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,182,696. The company has a market cap of $666.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm 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, 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 paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 over the last three months. Company 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.