Argentarii LLC Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Argentarii LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,406 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.8% of Argentarii LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Argentarii LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $784.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.36.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Two 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.67.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.