Heck Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $1.41 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,551 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,405,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,289,419,000 after buying an additional 6,860,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.6%

Walmart stock opened at $96.49 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 50 day simple moving average of $92.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.97.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. 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 research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

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.