Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT has reduced its stock position in Walmart Inc. by 41%, owning 7,266 shares worth approximately $638,000 after selling 5,057 shares in the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Walmart's stock to a buy rating, with a consensus target price of $109.29 and multiple price objective increases from different firms.
• Walmart recently announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, with an upcoming payout date of September 2nd for shareholders of record as of August 18th.

Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 41.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,266 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,057 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT's holdings in Walmart were worth $638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whelan Financial boosted its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,275,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.29.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $99.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $797.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50 day moving average is $97.60 and its 200 day moving average is $95.58. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.52 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 144,334 shares of company stock worth $13,913,350 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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