ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Has $9.53 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,433 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,410 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.4% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Kepos Capital LP bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total value of $347,895,646.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 671,082,588 shares in the company, valued at $39,106,219,344.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 500,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $29,195,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 653,067,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,132,597,369.79. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total value of $347,895,646.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 671,082,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,106,219,344.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.11 on Friday, hitting $59.82. The stock had a trading volume of 14,207,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,769,110. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.34 and a twelve month high of $61.65. The business’s 50 day moving average is $60.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $482.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Stifel Europe lifted their target price on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.