Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Has $4.70 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 32.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,870 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,738 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 188,777 shares of company stock worth $17,934,726. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $98.65 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.20 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $792.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.58.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Walmart Company 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.