Brio Consultants LLC Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Brio Consultants LLC significantly increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 424.1% in the first quarter, now holding over 12,221 shares valued at approximately $1,073,000.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Walmart's stock, with Mizuho raising its price target to $115.00 while Stifel Nicolaus decreased its target to $91.00, contributing to a general consensus of a "Moderate Buy" rating.
• In recent insider trading activity, CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares at an average price of $95.58, resulting in a 0.44% decrease in his stock ownership.

Brio Consultants LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 424.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,221 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,889 shares during the quarter. Brio Consultants LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Whelan Financial increased its position in Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective 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 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.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $421,737,000.84. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,078,027 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $97.57 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 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 simple moving average is $96.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.89. The company has a market cap of $778.65 billion, a PE ratio of 41.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors 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 of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

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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