Independent Advisor Alliance Acquires 40,699 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 352,750 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,699 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Walmart were worth $31,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake 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 valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % 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 worth $17,657,316 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $91.68 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $736.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 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.