Carlson Capital Management Sells 425 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Carlson Capital Management trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,074 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 425 shares during the period. Carlson Capital Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Custos Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Kennondale Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,660,000. PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 26,419 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,387,000 after purchasing an additional 3,452 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 58,929 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,324,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 167.8% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,289 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,646,000 after acquiring an additional 18,353 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $87.54 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $95.67 and its 200 day moving average is $88.88. The firm has a market cap of $703.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 39.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.