Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. Trims Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,061 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 267 shares during the period. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $444,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,283,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,645,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.68.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $97.34 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.90 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.99. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last quarter. 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.