Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,825 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,333 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.6% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $359,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $97.34 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.90 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $778.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.39, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $95.06 and its 200-day moving average is $93.99. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.68.

About Walmart

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.