BCS Wealth Management Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BCS Wealth Management decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 16.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,507 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,522 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE WMT opened at $97.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $779.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $65.90 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $94.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.88.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.16.

Walmart 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.