Kane Investment Management Inc. Takes $462,000 Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Kane Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,108 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $462,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 809,352 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $541,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in Walmart by 4.2% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 9,052 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 22,250 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,797,000 after buying an additional 2,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $504,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded up $1.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. 21,350,174 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,797,031. The company has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $91.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.