Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Buys 1,932 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,929 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 2.2% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,324,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $87.54 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization 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. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $95.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.88. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during 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%. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.