Laraway Financial Advisors Inc Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Laraway Financial Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,394 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.2% of Laraway Financial Advisors Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Laraway Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $96.78 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $59.44 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $774.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.16, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $90.66 and a 200 day moving average of $92.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS 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 issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.94.

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.