Crescent Sterling Ltd. Acquires 5,434 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Crescent Sterling Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 47.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,775 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,434 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.5% of Crescent Sterling Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Crescent Sterling Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased 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 buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Walmart by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Down 1.7%

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

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.