Prana Capital Management LP Sells 99,240 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Prana Capital Management LP lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 50.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 96,412 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 99,240 shares during the quarter. Prana Capital Management LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $1.91 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.26. The stock had a trading volume of 33,699,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,891,942. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $91.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.40. The firm has a market cap of $786.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.63 and a fifty-two 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.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value 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. Insiders sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.