Geneva Capital Management LLC Sells 1,865 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Geneva Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,065 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,865 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $94.59 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $96.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.13. The company has a market capitalization of $759.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.