Verisail Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 4,836 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Verisail Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,836 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $437,000. Walmart accounts for 0.2% of Verisail Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 177,022 shares of company stock valued at $16,618,422. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $93.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $753.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $92.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.09. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group decreased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Three investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

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.