Demars Financial Group LLC Has $28.65 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Demars Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8,935.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,147 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 313,637 shares during the quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $28,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Walmart by 37.1% in the 4th 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 period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of 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, APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,707.6% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,410,000 after acquiring an additional 3,512,368 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2 %

Walmart stock traded up $1.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. The stock had a trading volume of 21,350,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,819,973. The stock has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 $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 yield of 1.01%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

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.