Wealthfront Advisers LLC Sells 425,886 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 92.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,609 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 425,886 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,072,000. Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire increased its stake in Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $103.20.

Remove Ads

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $84.36 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $677.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $95.85 and a 200 day moving average of $88.56.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.