Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 111,987 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 17,799 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its position in shares of Walmart by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,879 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer's stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,591,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $92.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,705,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,296,278. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $739.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $91.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.46. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.44 and a 52-week high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.49.

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.