Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Buys 9,077 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 28.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,444 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 9,077 shares during the quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 63,135,639 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,098,203,000 after purchasing an additional 7,200,004 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 87,617,409 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,048,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786,061 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $84.93. 8,576,322 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,890,393. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $94.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.20. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $680.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart's 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 on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. Corporate 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.