Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Reduced by Altman Advisors Inc.

Altman Advisors Inc. lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,837 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 675 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.3% of Altman Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Altman Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,167,186,000 after buying an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,796,129,000 after acquiring an additional 514,036 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % 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 this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $92.81 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $92.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.88. The firm has a market cap of $744.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.