Erste Asset Management GmbH Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH significantly reduced its stake in Walmart Inc., decreasing ownership by 51.3% to 94,875 shares, which were valued at approximately $8.56 million at the end of the first quarter.
• Several other hedge funds, including Operose Advisors LLC and Bear Mountain Capital Inc., have increased their stakes in Walmart by over 300% and 90%, respectively, during the same quarter.
• Walmart announced a dividend of $0.235 to be paid on September 2nd, with the ex-dividend date set for August 15th, reflecting a dividend yield of 90.0%.

Erste Asset Management GmbH lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 51.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 94,875 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 99,832 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares in the company, valued at $421,737,000.84. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 84,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,161,365. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $102.3860 on Thursday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $97.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.67. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $74.59 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $817.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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