Cozad Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,477 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,091 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 a total of 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $85.29 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $685.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.39, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $95.74 and a 200-day moving average of $88.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid 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 yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

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.