Gradient Investments LLC Has $35.81 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 14.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 407,929 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 51,647 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $35,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whelan Financial increased its position in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $105.16.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6%

WMT traded down $0.59 on Wednesday, hitting $99.39. 11,099,926 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,875,514. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.64 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $94.05 and its 200-day moving average is $93.63. The company has a market cap of $795.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart 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.