MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,522 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 956 shares during the period. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,891,867.94. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $95.86 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $766.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.44 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $90.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.16.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.