Stonegate Investment Group LLC Has $118.43 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 205.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,968,275 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,323,849 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 3.7% of Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $118,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total transaction of $347,895,646.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 671,082,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,106,219,344.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total value of $347,895,646.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 671,082,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,106,219,344.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551. 46.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.32. 14,196,731 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,705,756. The company has a market capitalization of $478.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.99 and its 200 day moving average is $55.90. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.34 and a 1 year high of $61.65.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Europe upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

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.