Heritage Wealth Advisors Decreases Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Heritage Wealth Advisors decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 500,583 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 50,838 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 2.2% of Heritage Wealth Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Heritage Wealth Advisors' holdings in Walmart were worth $45,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 63,135,639 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,098,203,000 after acquiring an additional 7,200,004 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 3.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 87,617,409 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,048,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786,061 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Down 0.8 %

WMT stock traded down $0.68 on Friday, reaching $84.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,576,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,890,548. The firm has a market cap of $681.02 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.20. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders 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 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

About Walmart

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.