B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 206,967 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 21,651 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $18,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Armis Advisers LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $2,859,000. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 12,147 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,097,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 158.8% in the 4th quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 5,382 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $486,000 after acquiring an additional 3,302 shares in the last quarter. Instrumental Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,000. Finally, Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $5,775,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value 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 approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.2%

WMT traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $97.52. 17,168,296 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,858,663. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.16 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $92.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $780.25 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

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.