WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC Lowers Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 14,681 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 3.6% of WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $13,740,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Lipe & Dalton raised its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $95.87 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $765.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.97, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 155,820 shares of company stock worth $14,965,435. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.