Wick Capital Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wick Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 52.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,306 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,427 shares during the quarter. Wick Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in 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 period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $96.02 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.58 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $768.25 billion, a PE ratio of 39.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $90.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock worth $15,984,929 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.