Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC Buys New Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,265 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $566,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $97.04. 14,317,854 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,836,127. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $776.43 billion, a PE ratio of 40.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $93.00 and its 200 day moving average is $93.17. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.16 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

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.