LM Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

LM Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 23.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,020 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 10,545 shares during the period. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,081,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock worth $16,701,404. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.52. 17,168,296 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,858,663. The firm has a market cap of $780.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.46, 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $92.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.12. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors 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 payout ratio is presently 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.