Armis Advisers LLC Buys Shares of 31,639 Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 31,639 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,859,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 12,147 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 158.8% during the 4th quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 5,382 shares of the retailer's stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 3,302 shares in the last quarter. Instrumental Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $5,775,000. Finally, Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $925,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Down 0.4%

Walmart stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.23. The stock had a trading volume of 11,099,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,831,754. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $92.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.16 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $777.93 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,583 shares of company stock valued at $16,701,404. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Walmart

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.