Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,088,206 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 23,978 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.9% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $95,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th 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 bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded down $1.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $94.80. 17,813,539 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,893,103. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $95.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $758.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.95 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.