Compass Capital Management Inc. Sells 62,908 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Compass Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 656,270 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 62,908 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 3.8% of Compass Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Compass Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $57,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.85 on Wednesday, hitting $95.10. 11,235,876 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,917,164. 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 fifty day moving average is $96.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.11. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.55 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $758.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.64, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

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.