Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC

Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,623 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,315,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $97.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.25. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $57.60 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $781.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Walmart’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Walmart’s payout ratio is 34.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 176,777 shares of company stock valued at $16,570,112. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.87.

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.