BTC Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

BTC Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 50.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 248,096 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 254,640 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.9% of BTC Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $27,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Matrix Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.7% in the third quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the third quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 29,445 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,035,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $124.74 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The business’s fifty day moving average is $124.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $994.48 billion, a PE ratio of 45.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.