Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Carnegie Investment Counsel lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 11.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 190,210 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 24,913 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings in Walmart were worth $15,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.4% during 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 stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,796,129,000 after acquiring an additional 514,036 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,696,396,000 after acquiring an additional 233,040 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $97.45. The stock had a trading volume of 12,845,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,524,539. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.68. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $96.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.77.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total value of $1,887,041.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,431,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at $430,724,989.77. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company'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 value of $380,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 126,696 shares of company stock valued at $12,222,245 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.