Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s 10th Largest Position

Avitas Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,708 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 479 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.5% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. AMI Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the first quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,269 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its position in Walmart by 36.8% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 4,820 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Walmart by 31.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,162 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC increased its position in Walmart by 123.9% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,573,000 after purchasing an additional 5,847 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 857,839 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $127,749,000 after buying an additional 13,985 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director S Robson Walton sold 1,550,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.21, for a total value of $214,271,385.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 257,930,893 shares in the company, valued at $35,648,628,721.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,077,204 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.08, for a total transaction of $148,740,328.32. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 259,481,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,829,167,548. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 1,550,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.21, for a total transaction of $214,271,385.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 257,930,893 shares in the company, valued at $35,648,628,721.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,830,325 shares of company stock valued at $1,378,798,478. Corporate insiders own 47.06% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $139.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.27 and a 200-day moving average of $141.04. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.27 and a 52-week high of $160.77.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $164.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 20.45% and a net margin of 1.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 52.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Walmart from $164.00 to $169.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $163.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $155.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Walmart from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $168.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.44.

About Walmart

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Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.