Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $39.95 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 22.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 455,029 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 84,817 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $39,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st 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. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its position in Walmart by 95.2% during the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $100.91 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.52 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $805.28 billion, a PE ratio of 43.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 144,334 shares of company stock valued at $13,913,350. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $107.47.

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.

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