Chesapeake Asset Management LLC Buys 5,877 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Chesapeake Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1,723.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,218 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,877 shares during the period. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $693,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the second quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.7% in the third quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 29,445 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,035,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.4%

WMT stock opened at $120.72 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $962.42 billion, a PE ratio of 44.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.09.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. HSBC lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.