32,022 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Purchased by Element Capital Management LLC

Element Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 32,022 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,811,000. Walmart makes up 0.7% of Element Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its position in Walmart by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management lifted its stake in Walmart by 94.2% during the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Walmart by 11.8% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock worth $698,787,000 after purchasing an additional 838,689 shares during the period. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 156.7% during the first quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 144,334 shares of company stock worth $13,913,350 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.47.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $100.91 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.52 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $805.28 billion, a PE ratio of 43.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.

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