Compass Capital Management Inc. Increases Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Compass Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,665 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 3.7% of Compass Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Compass Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $52,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 15,371.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,511,225 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $553,545,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488,530 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Walmart by 46.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,491,137 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $718,271,000 after acquiring an additional 1,416,359 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Walmart by 8.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,873,127 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,698,519,000 after buying an additional 1,317,729 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 137,214,807 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,944,764,000 after purchasing an additional 751,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 161.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,157,620 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $182,499,000 after purchasing an additional 715,125 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Europe raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.35. The company had a trading volume of 14,190,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,705,730. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.34 and a twelve month high of $61.65. The company has a market capitalization of $478.35 billion, a PE ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.86.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total value of $117,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $241,239,559.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total value of $117,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

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.