Austin Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Austin Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,377 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Austin Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $87.44 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $96.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.56 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $702.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.20.

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.