Brueske Advisory Services LLC Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Brueske Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,847 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $96.11 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $772.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.20 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.17.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total value of $277,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 375,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,691,507.55. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 146,528 shares of company stock worth $13,849,185 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.