IHT Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

IHT Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 155,394 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,004 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,796,129,000 after purchasing an additional 514,036 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2 %

NYSE WMT opened at $93.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.52 and a 200-day moving average of $90.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.