Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Private Client Services LLC

Private Client Services LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 35.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,744 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,835 shares during the period. Private Client Services LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.47 on Friday, hitting $98.57. 29,968,085 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,929,072. The company has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $93.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.16 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart 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.