9,942 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Purchased by Ames National Corp

Ames National Corp acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,942 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $898,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 166,035 shares of company stock worth $15,548,082. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.48 on Thursday, reaching $95.95. 13,692,655 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,846,993. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.16 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $92.12 and a 200 day moving average of $92.82. 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 $767.69 billion, a PE ratio of 39.81, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

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.