Continuum Advisory LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 68.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,557 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,378 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Continuum Advisory LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Continuum Advisory LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares in the company, valued at $32,891,867.94. This represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,207,148.49. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $782.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.59, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $91.72 and a 200-day moving average of $92.70. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $64.16 and a one 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.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

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.