Apex Wealth Management LLC Buys Shares of 15,028 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Apex Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 15,028 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,358,000. Walmart accounts for about 1.2% of Apex Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Aristotle Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Aspire Growth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,483,000. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC grew its position in Walmart by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC now owns 1,017,556 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $91,936,000 after acquiring an additional 105,170 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $104,000. Finally, AlTi Global Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 136,488 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,398,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $98.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.33. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.14 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $789.93 billion, a PE ratio of 40.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total transaction of $2,743,189.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,480,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,003,883.93. The trade was a 0.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Company 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.