Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Carret Asset Management LLC

Carret Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 120,325 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,799 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.2% of Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0 %

WMT stock opened at $84.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $677.67 billion, a PE ratio of 35.00, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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 moving average price is $95.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.56. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

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.