Whittier Trust Co. Buys 8,655 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 265,697 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,655 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $24,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

WMT opened at $86.36 on Thursday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $95.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.92. The company has a market capitalization of $693.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.20.

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.