Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Alerus Financial NA

Alerus Financial NA cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 70,750 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,766 shares during the period. Alerus Financial NA’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents 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 sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted 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. Two equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $85.62 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $686.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.53, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.20.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

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.