PKS Advisory Services LLC Purchases New Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

PKS Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 6,594 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $596,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $84.69 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $95.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.25. The stock has a market cap of $678.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.14, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year 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 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

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.