GWN Securities Inc. Purchases New Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 49,321 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,658,000. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.2% of GWN Securities Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $103.20.

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Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of WMT traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $85.29. The stock had a trading volume of 35,480,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,827,975. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $95.74 and a 200 day moving average of $88.80. 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 market cap of $685.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.39, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart's payout ratio is 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.