Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $74.12 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 820,405 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,145 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.4% of Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $74,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $87.54 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $703.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.88. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by 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.