Laurion Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 229,200 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Laurion Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 229,200 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $20,708,000. Walmart makes up approximately 0.4% of Laurion Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $96.78 on Monday. 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 1 year low of $59.44 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $774.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.16, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Walmart from $111.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.