Shell Asset Management Co. Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Shell Asset Management Co. cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,375 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 531 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $98.26 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.63 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $786.18 billion, a PE ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. 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.