Financial Counselors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 902,012 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 31,500 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.2% of Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $81,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $84.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $678.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $95.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.25.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.