Central Valley Advisors LLC Has $2.97 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Central Valley Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,822 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,216 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.1% of Central Valley Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Central Valley Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings 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 valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $105.68.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $1.62 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.70. 16,357,466 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,868,540. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.90 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $765.70 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $95.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.