Paragon Capital Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Paragon Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,247 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 531 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Wayfinding Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC now owns 11,686 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,058,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the period. Gutierrez Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,420,000. Truepoint Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $271,000. Ballast Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC now owns 6,746 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $610,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 141,836 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,815,000 after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of WMT opened at $85.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $95.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.89. The stock has a market cap of $687.70 billion, a PE ratio of 35.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. 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 related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

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.