L.K. Benson & Company P.C. Makes New $1.11 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

L.K. Benson & Company P.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,225 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of L.K. Benson & Company P.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $431,632,000 after acquiring an additional 18,644 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 14.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,517,000 after purchasing an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $336,000. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,262 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 503,665 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $40,669,000 after buying an additional 21,800 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $687.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $95.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart 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.