Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. Takes $1.32 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 14,644 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,323,000. Walmart comprises 2.0% of Lakeshore Capital Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $96.49 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.16 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $92.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.03. The firm has a market cap of $772.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

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.