New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Lowers Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 202,879 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,200 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of New Mexico Educational Retirement Board's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board's holdings in Walmart were worth $17,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,170,000 after acquiring an additional 5,765 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $97.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $774.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.50, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm'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 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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