Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Reduced by Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA

Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 603,054 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,148 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 2.7% of Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA’s holdings in Walmart were worth $57,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after buying an additional 18,644 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Architects LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Architects LLC now owns 6,969 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 72,878 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,885,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $868,000. Finally, Baugh & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baugh & Associates LLC now owns 101,348 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,941,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value 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 approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $94.59 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.13. The stock has a market cap of $759.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 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 analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.