Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Sells 2,582 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 725,508 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,582 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $63,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $97.24 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.20. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $776.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,060,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.