Brookwood Investment Group LLC Invests $1.95 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Brookwood Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 22,242 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,953,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,796,129,000 after purchasing an additional 514,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,696,396,000 after purchasing an additional 233,040 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $97.45. 12,845,633 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,524,539. 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 one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $96.77 and its 200 day moving average is $94.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $777.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.68.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 126,696 shares of company stock worth $12,222,245 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Company 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.