Davidson Trust Co. Acquires 3,059 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Davidson Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 62.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,996 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Davidson Trust Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its stake 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 period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought 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 shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial cut their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.29. 7,686,204 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,082,978. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $97.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $784.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a PEG ratio of 4.70 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. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.