Next Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Next Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,853 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,161 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.8% of Next Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Next Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $95.56 and its 200-day moving average is $88.93. The company has a market cap of $687.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

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.