Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. Has $38.04 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. has reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 39.3%, selling 280,315 shares and holding 433,311 shares valued at approximately $38 million.
• Walmart reported a quarterly EPS of $0.61, surpassing estimates by $0.03, and achieved a 2.5% increase in revenue year-over-year, totaling $165.61 billion.
• Recent analyst ratings show strong confidence in Walmart, with many firms upgrading their recommendations and raising price targets, resulting in a consensus price target of $106.67.

Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 39.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 433,311 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 280,315 shares during the quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Lipe & Dalton raised its holdings in Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter worth $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded down $0.74 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,844,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,240,789. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $96.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.93.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,078,027. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two investment analysts have 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

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.