LS Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,848 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

LS Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 163,351 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,848 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 2.2% of LS Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $14,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,283,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $10,645,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE WMT traded down $0.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $97.46. 15,583,112 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,882,163. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.64 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $94.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $779.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

About Walmart

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.