Northeast Investment Management Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Northeast Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 364,261 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 8,634 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Northeast Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Northeast Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $31,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Whelan Financial raised its stake in Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $94.45. 10,405,063 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,839,924. The stock has a market capitalization of $755.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.90 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $95.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.01.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.