Capital Analysts LLC Trims Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

by · The Markets Daily

Capital Analysts LLC decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 237,484 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,856 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.9% of Capital Analysts LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Check Out Our Latest Report on WMT

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $95.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a PE ratio of 39.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.58 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.76. 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 – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction 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 approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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