Bernard Wealth Management Corp. Invests $2.13 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,529 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,126,000. Walmart makes up about 1.0% of Bernard Wealth Management Corp.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after buying an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $1.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.52. The stock had a trading volume of 17,168,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,858,663. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.12. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.16 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $780.25 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Walmart 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.