Ipsen Advisor Group LLC Takes $1.70 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 18,842 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,702,000. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Ipsen Advisor Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $84.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $678.95 billion, a PE ratio of 35.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.25. 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 fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.