Korea Investment CORP Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 5.9%, now owning approximately 3.74 million shares worth about $328.74 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Walmart, with Operose Advisors LLC leading with a 319.7% increase in the first quarter.
• Walmart recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61, surpassing analyst expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 2.5% year-over-year.

Korea Investment CORP trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,744,641 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 235,859 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.8% of Korea Investment CORP's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Walmart were worth $328,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $99.96 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.52 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $797.72 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $97.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.56.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $109.29.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,334 shares of company stock worth $13,526,350 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% 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.

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