Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV Sells 1,015 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 18.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,382 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the period. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV’s holdings in Walmart were worth $385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $99.39 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $94.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.67. The firm has a market cap of $795.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.24, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.64 and a 1 year high of $105.30. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.16.

About Walmart

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.