Avantax Planning Partners Inc. Has $2.77 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,572 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,961 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $98.29 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a 50-day moving average of $97.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.33. The company has a market cap of $784.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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