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

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 15.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,400,752 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 437,911 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $210,762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whelan Financial increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $95.10 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $758.95 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.55 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Walmart Company 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.