Townsquare Capital LLC Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 193,329 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,862 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $17,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased 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 in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 2.4 %

WMT stock opened at $92.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $744.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.88. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. 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 1.01%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.