BTC Capital Management Inc. Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 229,538 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 6,143 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.8% of BTC Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. BTC Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho began coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.57. 29,968,085 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,890,104. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $93.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.41. The firm has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.16 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by 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.