Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Lessened by AlphaCore Capital LLC

AlphaCore Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,500 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,490 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.3% of AlphaCore Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. AlphaCore Capital LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 992 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 21,860 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,975,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 69,915 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,317,000 after purchasing an additional 3,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 29,408 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James decreased their target price on 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 decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of WMT opened at $96.49 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $92.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.90. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.16 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $772.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by 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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