Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $62.14 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 687,919 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 48,088 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $62,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its position in shares of 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 during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $103.20.

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Walmart Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $87.44 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $96.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.61. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $702.40 billion, a PE ratio of 36.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.

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