Vectors Research Management LLC Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Vectors Research Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,682 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,789 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 2.1% of Vectors Research Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Walmart by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 8,375 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 967,904 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $87,489,000 after purchasing an additional 42,050 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 418,189 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,783,000 after purchasing an additional 91,792 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 355,931 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,158,000 after purchasing an additional 170,725 shares during the period. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,020,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $93.17 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.40. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $746.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.58.

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.