Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. Sells 12,113 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,678 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,113 shares during the quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whelan Financial grew its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the first 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 last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $98.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $784.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.00, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $97.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.33. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

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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