Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Financial Perspectives Inc

Financial Perspectives Inc decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,167 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 650,977 shares in the company, valued at $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was 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 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $94.24 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $96.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.55 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $752.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

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.