Friday Financial Buys New Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Friday Financial bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,993 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $538,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. 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 the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 650,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:WMT opened at $96.16 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.55 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $767.41 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.14.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

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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