Napatree Capital LLC Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Napatree Capital LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 16,218 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,887 shares during the quarter. Napatree Capital LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $85.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $95.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.04. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.56 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $688.93 billion, a PE ratio of 35.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116 in the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

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.