Islay Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Islay Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 75.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 450 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,350 shares during the quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $41,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. ROI Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43,164 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,900,000 after purchasing an additional 4,138 shares during the period. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR lifted its stake in Walmart by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 21,050 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,000 after acquiring an additional 6,550 shares in the last quarter. Broderick Brian C boosted its holdings in Walmart by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Broderick Brian C now owns 7,740 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 3,090 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO. grew its position in Walmart by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 64,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,787,000 after acquiring an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $120,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $83.09 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $666.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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.