Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 556,132 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 93,951 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $50,291,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,480,347 shares in the company, valued at $422,003,883.93. This represents a 0.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $374,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares in the company, valued at $102,518,542.50. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $98.73 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $90.52 and a 200 day moving average of $91.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.14 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 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.