Snider Financial Group Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Snider Financial Group lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 61,681 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,217 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.7% of Snider Financial Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Snider Financial Group’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $94.74 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $96.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.03. The stock has a market cap of $761.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

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.