Alliancebernstein L.P. Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,686,441 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,303,153 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.21% of Walmart worth $1,507,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $1.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $89.88. 18,484,679 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,003,470. 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 one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $720.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.45 and a 200 day moving average of $89.51.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS 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 given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.