Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc.

Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,314 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 8,060 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 4.1% of Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,796,129,000 after purchasing an additional 514,036 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 151,820 shares of company stock valued at $14,584,875 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WMT traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $95.63. 13,444,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,137,987. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week 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 stock has a market capitalization of $763.14 billion, a PE ratio of 37.72, a PEG ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.