GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 25,011 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 516 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $697,029,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 1.7%

WMT opened at $95.70 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $765.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.01. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.90 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.