Logan Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Logan Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 24,314 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Logan Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $96.75 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $90.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.14. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.44 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $774.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.