Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Easterly Investment Partners LLC

Easterly Investment Partners LLC decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 83,068 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 14,738 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $5,737,355,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $12,949,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 6,388 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $906,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 232,999 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,051,000 after buying an additional 56,002 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $85.13 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $94.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.22. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 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 company has a market capitalization of $682.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders 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 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

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.