First Command Advisory Services Inc. Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

First Command Advisory Services Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 22,485 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total value of $277,410.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 375,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,691,507.55. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,528 shares of company stock worth $13,849,185 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $96.11 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $95.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.17. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.20 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $772.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. 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 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

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.