Apex Wealth Management LLC Invests $1.36 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Apex Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 15,028 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,358,000. Walmart makes up about 1.2% of Apex Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.31. 12,433,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,829,424. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $794.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.39 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.52 and a 200 day moving average of $91.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's 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.