Keynote Financial Services LLC Sells 321 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Keynote Financial Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,771 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 321 shares during the quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.9 %

Walmart stock opened at $98.65 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.20 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.58. The stock has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders 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 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

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.