13,000 Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Purchased by BOCHK Asset Management Ltd

BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 13,000 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,141,000. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of BOCHK Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.7% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 64,806 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,689,000 after purchasing an additional 2,902 shares during the period. Apex Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Apex Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,332 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Drake & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 15.7% in the first quarter. Drake & Associates LLC now owns 6,332 shares of the retailer's stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the first quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 4,163 shares of the retailer's stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,514.7% during the 1st quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 403,049 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $35,384,000 after acquiring an additional 378,087 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $2.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $97.11. The stock had a trading volume of 16,858,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,067,543. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $97.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $774.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.50, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

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.