Sandy Spring Bank Sells 12,669 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sandy Spring Bank decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 262,708 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,669 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.0% of Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $23,736,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9 %

WMT opened at $86.36 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $95.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $693.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.