Financial Symmetry Inc Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Financial Symmetry Inc purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,657 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whelan Financial raised its stake in Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $619,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $97.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $774.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.50, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.67 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Company 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.

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