Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 28.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 66,632 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 25,856 shares during the quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Lipe & Dalton boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $96.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,977,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,743,034. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $771.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.29, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $96.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.77.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 126,696 shares of company stock valued at $12,222,245 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.