Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 22.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,838,663 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 521,911 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $256,473,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 11,839 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,070,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $345,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $467,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 99,793 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,016,000 after purchasing an additional 48,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $461,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.57. The company had a trading volume of 29,967,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,656,135. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $788.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $93.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.26.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

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.