12,050 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Acquired by Riverbend Wealth Management LLC

Riverbend Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 12,050 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,091,000. Walmart accounts for 1.0% of Riverbend Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Davis R M Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 12,775 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 6,465 shares of the retailer's stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,115,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $754,000. Finally, Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,158 shares of the retailer's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.39 on Tuesday, hitting $87.44. 28,677,732 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,795,300. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $96.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.61. 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 market capitalization of $702.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business 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 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 1.08%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.