Cassia Capital Partners LLC Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Cassia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 56.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,881 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,919 shares during the period. Cassia Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in Walmart by 209.7% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $4,658,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $96.16 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.55 and a one year high of $105.30. The company's 50-day moving average is $96.39 and its 200 day moving average is $94.14. The company has a market capitalization of $767.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued 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 payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659 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.

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