Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by HBW Advisory Services LLC

HBW Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,609 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 567 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $228,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rowland & Co. Investment Counsel ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Rowland & Co. Investment Counsel ADV now owns 65,308 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,378,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 283.5% in the fourth quarter. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC now owns 7,624 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,081,000 after acquiring an additional 5,636 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 10,659 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,511,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Continental Investors Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $2,860,000. Finally, Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $334,000. 31.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $139.40 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $375.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $117.27 and a 1-year high of $160.77.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.82, for a total transaction of $1,396,204.56. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.82, for a total transaction of $1,396,204.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,458,924 shares in the company, valued at $209,822,449.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 157,406 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total transaction of $21,722,028.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 260,926,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,007,918,134. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,830,325 shares of company stock valued at $1,378,798,478. Insiders own 47.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Atlantic Securities lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $150.00 to $165.00 in a report on Thursday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 6th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. One 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.