China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 10,825 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 24.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,713 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 10,825 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $99.27 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $792.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.42, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business's 50 day moving average price is $97.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.41.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business 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. 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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