Laraway Financial Advisors Inc Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Laraway Financial Advisors Inc increased its stake in Walmart by 32.1%, holding a total of 22,986 shares valued at approximately $1.87 million as of the most recent SEC filing.
• Other institutional investors have also boosted their positions in Walmart, with significant increases by firms like Monument Capital Management (94.2%) and Milestone Asset Management (156.7%) during the first quarter.
• Walmart announced a dividend of $0.235 per share to be paid on September 2nd, with an ex-dividend date set for August 15th, representing a yield of 90.0%.

Laraway Financial Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 32.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,986 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,592 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Laraway Financial Advisors Inc's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Laraway Financial Advisors Inc's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Full Sail Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the period. Leslie Global Wealth LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Monument Capital Management increased its holdings in Walmart by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Walmart by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $698,787,000 after purchasing an additional 838,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 156.7% during the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business'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 value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,334 shares of company stock worth $13,526,350. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $99.96 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.52 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $97.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.56. 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 $797.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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 the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Tigress Financial raised 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $109.29.

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.

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