Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 5.0%, owning a total of 2,040,920 shares valued at $179.17 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• In the most recent quarter, several other institutional investors also increased their positions in Walmart, with hedge funds currently owning 26.76% of the retailer's stock.
• Walmart announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.95% and a payout ratio of 40.17% as of the most recent announcement.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,040,920 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 97,673 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $179,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC increased its position in Walmart by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Leslie Global Wealth LLC increased its position in Walmart by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management increased its position in Walmart by 94.2% in the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after buying an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 156.7% in the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,799,000 after buying an additional 33,370 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.59. 13,844,039 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,240,789. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $778.81 billion, a PE ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.93.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,078,027 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on WMT. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Tigress Financial boosted 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently 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.