Forum Financial Management LP Purchases 2,897 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,100 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares during the quarter. Forum Financial Management LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

Walmart stock opened at $96.49 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.16 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $772.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $92.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.90.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

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.