Vivaldi Capital Management LP Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 47.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,158 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,775 shares during the quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $98.26 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $63.87 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average is $91.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $786.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

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.