Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,683 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,183 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.9% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Kepos Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $1,687,250.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at $236,187,943.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total value of $337,066,728.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at $236,187,943.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,016,140 shares of company stock worth $1,695,868,391 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.80 on Thursday, reaching $59.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,966,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,548,449. The firm has a market cap of $480.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.92. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.34 and a 52 week high of $61.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Europe raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.75.

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.