AdvisorNet Financial Inc Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,476 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,272 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $99.20. The company had a trading volume of 5,981,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,840,374. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $93.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.58. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.16 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $793.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.16, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.