Czech National Bank Grows Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 996,378 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 55,238 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.8% of Czech National Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Czech National Bank's holdings in Walmart were worth $87,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirador Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 6,661 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department lifted its position in Walmart by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 91,852 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,064,000 after buying an additional 9,040 shares in the last quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,244 shares of the retailer's stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC now owns 207,416 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,209,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080 shares during the period. Finally, Bowman & Co S.C. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 44,552 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $99.82. The stock had a trading volume of 16,974,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,886,141. The company has a market cap of $798.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.47. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued 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 payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Walmart Company 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.