TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,352 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

WMT stock opened at $95.10 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.55 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $96.24 and a 200-day moving average of $94.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $758.95 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

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.