Benjamin Edwards Inc. Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 751,130 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 15,700 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.0% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $67,872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 14.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $503,517,000 after acquiring an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $541,000. Pensionfund Sabic increased its stake in Walmart by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 50,000 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,518,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 60,078 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,428,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Market Strategies LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 4,180 shares of the retailer's stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.31. The stock had a trading volume of 12,433,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,829,424. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $90.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.60. The stock has a market cap of $794.57 billion, a PE ratio of 41.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.39 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Company 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.