Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Invests $204,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,265 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $85.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $682.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.32, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $94.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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.