GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. Has $282,000 Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 95.6% in the first quarter, now holding 3,211 shares valued at $282,000.
• Walmart's recent quarterly report revealed earnings per share of $0.61, beating estimates, with revenue of $165.61 billion—a 2.5% annual increase.
• The company declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, with a 90.0% yield, payable to shareholders on September 2nd.

GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 95.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,211 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 69,055 shares during the quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Whelan Financial lifted its position in Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the first quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $103.68 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.14 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $97.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.51. The company has a market capitalization of $827.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.31, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $106.70.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,080,073 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently 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.

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