Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is Hamel Associates Inc.’s 2nd Largest Position

Hamel Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 203,228 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,610 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 5.9% of Hamel Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Hamel Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $18,361,000 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. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after buying an additional 18,644 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 19,299 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,558,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $367,000. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,493 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $86,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.65 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $95.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.20 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $792.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.94, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,934,726. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target 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.