Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stock Position Boosted by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 919,527 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 61,964 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $83,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $93.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $92.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.09. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month 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 has a market capitalization of $753.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.99, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,022 shares of company stock valued at $16,618,422. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

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.