Woodstock Corp Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Woodstock Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,267 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 265 shares during the quarter. Woodstock Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 112.0% during the third quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Lipe & Dalton purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 500.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 282 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. 31.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $139.40 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $375.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $117.27 and a 12 month high of $160.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $164.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 20.45% and a net margin of 1.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to an “accumulate” rating and increased their target price for the company from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Friday, February 10th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $155.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Tigress Financial upgraded Walmart from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $170.00 to $176.00 in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Atlantic Securities increased their target price on Walmart from $150.00 to $165.00 in a report on Thursday, December 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 157,406 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $21,722,028.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 260,926,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,007,918,134. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 157,406 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $21,722,028.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 260,926,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,007,918,134. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.81, for a total value of $633,543.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 255,059 shares in the company, valued at $36,935,093.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,830,325 shares of company stock valued at $1,378,798,478. 47.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company Profile

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Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.