Whipplewood Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 2,570 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 2,570 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities 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 MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total value of $277,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 375,165 shares in the company, valued at $34,691,507.55. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 146,528 shares of company stock valued at $13,849,185. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7 %

WMT stock opened at $96.88 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.20 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.23 billion, a PE ratio of 40.20, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

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.