Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Lessened by Parthenon LLC

Parthenon LLC lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 231,392 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,625 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 2.5% of Parthenon LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Parthenon LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $20,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whelan Financial boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 3.7% in the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Planning Center Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.8% in the first quarter. Planning Center Inc. now owns 6,018 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,951 shares of company stock valued at $13,543,436. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. KeyCorp lifted 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. Mizuho raised their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial cut 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. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded down $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $95.42. The company had a trading volume of 10,436,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,119,129. The firm has a market cap of $761.49 billion, a PE ratio of 40.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $97.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.