Retirement Planning Group LLC Cuts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Retirement Planning Group LLC lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 32,896 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,801 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,283,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. First United Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 8,967 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $810,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in Walmart by 106.2% during the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 26,297 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 13,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 30,061 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $95.95 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $767.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.81, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $92.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 148,435 shares of company stock worth $13,886,290. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.