Breakthru Advisory Services LLC Acquires Shares of 5,826 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Breakthru Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,826 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $526,000. Walmart comprises approximately 0.5% of Breakthru Advisory Services LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 41,550 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,763,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $649,000. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC now owns 6,353 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 138,586 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $12,521,000 after acquiring an additional 32,665 shares during the period. Finally, Connecticut Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,404 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,301,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded up $1.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.39. 6,478,669 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,817,699. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.20 billion, a PE ratio of 40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued 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 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

About Walmart

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.