Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV Decreases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,857 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 130 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Walmart were worth $619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $137,000. First National Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 72,790 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,577,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,658,000. Glenview Trust co increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 844,600 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $76,310,000 after purchasing an additional 8,687 shares during the period. Finally, Facet Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 7,216 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $687.13 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.93. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. 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 1.10%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. This trade represents 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 worth $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.