Sigma Planning Corp Sells 21,280 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,496 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 21,280 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $9,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $2,048,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $217,000. Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 29,897 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,701,000 after buying an additional 1,444 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 7,057 shares of the retailer's stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 69.5% in the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 6,826 shares of the retailer's stock worth $617,000 after buying an additional 2,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $94.70 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $57.77 and a one year high of $105.30. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $95.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $760.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.30, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. 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, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 34.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $348,825,769.20. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112 over the last ninety days. 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.

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