Providence Capital Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 141.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,954 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares during the quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $12,949,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 6,388 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $906,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 232,999 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,051,000 after purchasing an additional 56,002 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’s 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 owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have 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.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $85.62 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $686.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

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.