Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,617,938 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 67,421 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.9% of Fifth Third Bancorp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Walmart were worth $229,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $1.00 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $94.80. The company had a trading volume of 17,813,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,893,103. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $758.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.95 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm 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 firm posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.