Cerity Partners LLC Grows Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 69.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,990,710 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,223,345 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $262,453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in 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. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 650,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.36. The company had a trading volume of 14,577,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,111,476. The company has a fifty day moving average of $97.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $753.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

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.