Owen LaRue LLC Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Owen LaRue LLC reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,722 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 390 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.9% of Owen LaRue LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Owen LaRue LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $95.16 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.58 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $762.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results 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 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 the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.