Birinyi Associates Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Birinyi Associates Inc. cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 64.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,900 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 55,315 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.8% of Birinyi Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Birinyi Associates Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lipe & Dalton increased its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

Walmart stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $95.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,622,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,156,813. The firm's 50 day moving average is $96.81 and its 200 day moving average is $94.62. The company has a market cap of $758.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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 is currently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,695 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,162 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.