Bragg Financial Advisors Inc Cuts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc trimmed its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 252,913 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,030 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.9% of Bragg Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $22,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $92.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $744.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $92.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.