Patten & Patten Inc. TN Sells 4,889 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Patten & Patten Inc. TN reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 245,526 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,889 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 1.5% of Patten & Patten Inc. TN's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Patten & Patten Inc. TN's holdings in Walmart were worth $22,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $85.29. 35,480,004 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,827,975. 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 company has a market cap of $685.19 billion, a PE ratio of 35.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $95.74 and a 200-day moving average of $88.80. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.10%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. This trade represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. The trade was a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.