Harfst & Associates Inc. Invests $781,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Harfst & Associates Inc. has invested $781,000 in Walmart Inc., acquiring 8,895 shares during the first quarter, as reported in their most recent SEC filing.
• Several other institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Walmart, contributing to institutional ownership that now stands at 26.76% of the company's stock.
• Walmart recently announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, which is scheduled to be paid on September 2nd, reflecting a payout ratio of 40.17%.

Harfst & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,895 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $781,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Whelan Financial raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Tigress Financial boosted 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. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 144,334 shares of company stock valued at $13,913,350 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $101.05 on Thursday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $97.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.55. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $67.85 and a one year high of $105.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $806.42 billion, a PE ratio of 43.18, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS 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 business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

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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