UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 1,493 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,508 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.0% of UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $95.89 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.66. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.58 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $768.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. 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 0.98%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,533 shares of company stock valued at $13,241,740 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

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.