Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,813 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,010 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $97.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $783.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.40 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. 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 moving average price of $96.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.88.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given 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 0.96%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

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.