Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 24.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,345 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,448 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 29,116 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,656,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 22.2% during the third quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the period. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $265,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its stake in Walmart by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 302,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $48,315,000 after acquiring an additional 7,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,125 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 26th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Europe lifted their price target on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.11 on Friday, reaching $59.82. 13,538,555 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,602,846. The company has a 50-day moving average of $60.03 and a 200-day moving average of $55.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $482.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.49. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.34 and a 1-year high of $61.65.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total value of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,237,458,141.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,076,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631 in the last 90 days. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.