JGP Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

JGP Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 4.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,620 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,633 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.4% of JGP Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. JGP Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $359,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of WMT stock traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.82. 16,974,523 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,886,141. The firm has a market cap of $798.64 billion, a PE ratio of 41.42, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.16 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $93.46 and a 200 day moving average of $93.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. 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. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864. 45.58% 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.