Advisory Alpha LLC Sells 6,508 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Advisory Alpha LLC trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 22.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,900 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,508 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $1.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $98.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 29,968,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,890,104. The company has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.41. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.16 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

About Walmart

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.