Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,940 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,166 shares during the quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $84.36 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $95.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.56. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.56 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $677.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

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.