Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC significantly increased its stake in Walmart by purchasing an additional 54,842 shares, bringing its total holdings to 55,186 shares valued at approximately $4.85 million.
• Walmart reported $0.61 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenues increasing by 2.5% year-over-year to $165.61 billion.
• The company declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, resulting in a yield of 0.95%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 40.17%.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 15,942.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 55,186 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 54,842 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $4,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 7.3% in the first quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 40,287 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,537,000 after purchasing an additional 2,758 shares in the last quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 3.7% in the first quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 57,346 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,035,000 after acquiring an additional 2,066 shares during the last quarter. AM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 9.6% during the first quarter. AM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 24,459 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 2,143 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 68.2% during the first quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,356 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,496,000 after purchasing an additional 11,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $9,289,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:WMT traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $97.45. The company had a trading volume of 12,845,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,524,539. 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 firm has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $96.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.81. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 126,696 shares of company stock valued at $12,222,245 over the last ninety days. 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.