Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Atwood & Palmer Inc.

Atwood & Palmer Inc. lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 268,851 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 10,491 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.6% of Atwood & Palmer Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Atwood & Palmer Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $23,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st 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 during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th 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 lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th 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 period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $105.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

WMT stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.34. 17,145,025 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,871,605. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.90 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.39, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.