Milestone Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Milestone Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 156.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 33,370 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.0% of Milestone Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $4,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc lifted its stake in Walmart by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 6,065 shares of the retailer's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.2% during the first quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC now owns 22,293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,957,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 407,929 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $35,812,000 after purchasing an additional 51,647 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $5,249,000. Finally, Sweeney & Michel LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $638,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.16.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $99.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,102,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,875,517. 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 1-year low of $65.64 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $795.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.63.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is 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.