Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,188 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,290 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $84.69 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $95.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.25. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $678.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.14, 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.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

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.