Busey Wealth Management decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,986 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 752 shares during the quarter. Busey Wealth Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. LexAurum Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 5,601 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Goodwin Daniel L purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $261,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. increased its stake in Walmart by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 14,891 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,150,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 3,076 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 45,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,519,000 after purchasing an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.27% of the company’s stock.
Walmart Stock Up 0.7 %
NYSE:WMT traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $145.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,592,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,474,250. The stock has a market capitalization of $391.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.85 and a 200-day moving average of $141.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.27 and a 52-week high of $160.77.
Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $164.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 20.45% and a net margin of 1.91%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 53.27%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. StockNews.com began coverage on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Walmart from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $145.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, December 6th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $159.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.06.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.57, for a total transaction of $1,393,777.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,432,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $205,666,178.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 563,717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.26, for a total transaction of $80,194,380.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 264,873,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,680,924,595.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.57, for a total transaction of $1,393,777.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,432,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,666,178.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,641,340 shares of company stock valued at $2,488,588,588. 47.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About Walmart
Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.