Bellwether Advisors LLC Has $311,000 Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Bellwether Advisors LLC significantly reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 74.2%, owning 3,542 shares worth $311,000 after selling 10,169 shares in the first quarter.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.58, with a revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, a 2.5% increase year over year.
• The company recently announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, yielding 0.95%, with a dividend payout ratio of 40.17%.

Bellwether Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 74.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,542 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 10,169 shares during the period. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lipe & Dalton grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $97.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $96.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.83.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares in the company, valued at $430,724,989.77. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 126,696 shares of company stock worth $12,222,245. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.

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