GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Cuts Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,011 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 516 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew 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 period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, 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 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. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $95.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $765.70 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $95.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.01. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.90 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.50.

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.