GDS Wealth Management Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GDS Wealth Management increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,953 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,608 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.6% of GDS Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiduciary Planning LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $651,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Walmart by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 347,232 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $55,736,000 after purchasing an additional 98,712 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 12,888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its stake in Walmart by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 31,517 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,041,000 after purchasing an additional 3,368 shares during the period. Finally, River Street Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 4,167 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $666,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

WMT stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Thursday, hitting $60.45. 14,549,570 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,339,270. The firm has a market capitalization of $487.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.59, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.34 and a 1 year high of $61.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.15.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 43.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,237,458,141.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total value of $347,895,646.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 671,082,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,106,219,344.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,237,458,141.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on Walmart from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.94.

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.