Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. Acquires 3,290 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 72,175 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,290 shares during the quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $1,124,000. Finally, GWN Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $4,658,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock worth $11,801,762. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 1.1%

Walmart stock opened at $96.22 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $767.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $96.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.22.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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