AE Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 16.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 219,573 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 30,412 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $19,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its position in Walmart by 1,707.6% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in Walmart by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,765,159 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $882,282,000 after buying an additional 3,182,477 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.0%

Walmart stock traded up $0.94 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $96.62. 14,977,777 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,743,034. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $771.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $96.77 and a 200-day moving average of $94.77.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total transaction of $1,887,041.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $430,724,989.77. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 126,696 shares of company stock worth $12,222,245. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.