Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 39.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 246,721 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 162,694 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $22,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank raised its position in Walmart by 213.8% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $95.02. 15,311,845 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,830,103. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.58 and a 1 year 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. The business's 50 day moving average is $90.58 and its 200-day moving average is $90.91. The company has a market capitalization of $761.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Three 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, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.