United Asset Strategies Inc. Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies Inc. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 43.1% during the first quarter, resulting in ownership of 11,680 shares valued at $1,025,000.
• Recent analyst reports show target price upgrades for Walmart stock, with JPMorgan Chase raising it to $130.00 and overall consensus rating classified as "Buy."
• Walmart announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, with a payout ratio of 40.17% and an upcoming ex-dividend date of August 15th.

United Asset Strategies Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 43.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,680 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,836 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Monument Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 94.2% in the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 11.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock worth $698,787,000 after purchasing an additional 838,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 156.7% in the first quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $109.89.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,412,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $421,737,000.84. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total transaction of $403,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,052,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $106,255,856.80. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 88,841 shares of company stock worth $8,565,205. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $97.9050 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.01 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $781.32 billion, a PE ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company's fifty day moving average price is $97.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.65.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's payout ratio is 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.