ProShare Advisors LLC Sells 3,288,800 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 52.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,036,742 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,288,800 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of ProShare Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $274,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $96.69 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $773.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.47 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This represents 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 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

Walmart 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.