Nova R Wealth Inc. Buys 288 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Nova R Wealth Inc. grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,864 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 288 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.0% of Nova R Wealth Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Nova R Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,919,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $97.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.20. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $776.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. 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

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.50.

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.