Enhancing Capital LLC Buys Shares of 16,500 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Enhancing Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 16,500 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,491,000. Walmart makes up about 1.2% of Enhancing Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $87.54 on Tuesday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.88. The stock has a market cap of $703.21 billion, a PE ratio of 36.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

About Walmart

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.