CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Decreases Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 248,675 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,320 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $32,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 112.0% in the third quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Lipe & Dalton purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Walmart by 500.0% in the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 282 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.27% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $138.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $372.43 billion, a PE ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.02. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $117.27 and a fifty-two week high of $160.77.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $164.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 20.45% and a net margin of 1.91%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 15th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the retailer to purchase up to 5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.34%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.81, for a total value of $633,543.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 255,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,935,093.79. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.82, for a total value of $1,396,204.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,458,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $209,822,449.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.81, for a total value of $633,543.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 255,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,935,093.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,834,275 shares of company stock valued at $964,883,925 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 47.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Citigroup increased their target price on Walmart from $162.00 to $169.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 16th. Bank of America increased their target price on Walmart from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 16th. MKM Partners increased their target price on Walmart from $158.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.44.

Walmart Profile

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Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.