Optas LLC Purchases 14,511 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Optas LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 102.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,725 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,511 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $94.20 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.41 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $751.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.09. 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 (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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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