Retirement Planning Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Retirement Planning Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,063 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 833 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after buying an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6%

Walmart stock opened at $99.39 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.64 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $795.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $94.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.16.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.