GWN Securities Inc. Purchases Shares of 49,321 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 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 investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire grew its position in Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank grew its position in Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.77 on Wednesday, hitting $86.36. The stock had a trading volume of 24,542,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,903,262. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $693.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $95.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.93.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.20.

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.