Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC

MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,522 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 956 shares during the period. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $95.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $766.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.78, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.44 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $90.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

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.