Petra Financial Advisors Inc. Sells 3,160 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Petra Financial Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 37.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,360 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,160 shares during the quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $471,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Mizuho lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total value of $166,795.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 650,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,693,090.29. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

WMT opened at $96.16 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $66.55 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $767.41 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $96.39 and a 200-day moving average of $94.15.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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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