Flaharty Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Flaharty Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 88.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,226 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,917 shares during the quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after buying an additional 18,644 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 19,299 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,558,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Goldstone Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $367,000. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,493 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $86,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $98.65 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $95.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.44. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.20 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $792.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

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.