Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Sells 144,221 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 61.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,798 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 144,221 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was 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 link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3%

WMT opened at $97.81 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.16 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $782.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

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.