Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 57.4%, selling 83,705 shares to end up with 62,093 shares valued at approximately $5.45 million.
• Walmart has received multiple analyst endorsements, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $109.29, showcasing strong market confidence in the stock.
• Walmart recently declared a $0.235 dividend for shareholders, which will be paid on September 2nd, indicating a continued commitment to returning value to investors.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 57.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 62,093 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 83,705 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in shares of Walmart by 432.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton increased its position in shares of Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $109.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,334 shares of company stock worth $13,526,350. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

WMT opened at $99.96 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.52 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $97.60 and its 200 day moving average is $95.56. The stock has a market cap of $797.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's payout ratio 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.

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