Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Ashton Thomas Securities LLC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,952 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,208 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,169,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116 in the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $87.56 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $701.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.33, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

About Walmart

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.