KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 1,647,400 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,647,400 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $149,132,000. Walmart comprises about 0.7% of KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC now owns 5,584 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the 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 owns 566,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 3.2 %

NYSE WMT traded down $2.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $84.69. 27,873,027 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,966,685. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company's 50-day moving average is $95.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.25. The company has a market capitalization of $678.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

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.