Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 114,167 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,844 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.5% of Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after buying an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.69. 25,486,815 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,911,993. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.47 and a 52-week high of $105.30. 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 company has a market capitalization of $773.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $90.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.16.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. 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 issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.94.

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.