Benjamin Edwards Inc. Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 751,130 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,700 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.0% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $67,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $98.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $789.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $90.52 and a 200 day moving average of $91.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.39 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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