Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Forum Financial Management LP

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,100 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $6,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock worth $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at $541,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in Walmart by 4.2% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 9,052 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Aldebaran Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 22,250 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,797,000 after acquiring an additional 2,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $504,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock worth $16,785,305. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded up $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $93.17. 21,350,174 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,834,649. The firm has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $91.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given 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 currently 39.00%.

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.