Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 15.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,854 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 16,850 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.2% of Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whelan Financial boosted its stake in 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 stake 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 purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 stake in shares of 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 stake in shares of 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer 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 Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 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, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $95.12 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $96.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $759.08 billion, a PE ratio of 40.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid 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%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm'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 $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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 142,695 shares of company stock worth $13,710,162. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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