Arizona State Retirement System Acquires 11,881 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,296,669 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 11,881 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 0.7% of Arizona State Retirement System's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Walmart were worth $113,835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE increased its stake in Walmart by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,170,000 after acquiring an additional 5,765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $94.36 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $97.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.49. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $753.03 billion, a PE ratio of 40.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at $61,851,623.92. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total value of $1,887,041.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,431,783 shares in the company, valued at $430,724,989.77. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a 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 report on Friday, April 11th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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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