Rathbones Group PLC Sells 7,655 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC has reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 0.5%, selling 7,655 shares, which leaves them with approximately 1.5 million shares valued at $133.17 million.
• Walmart's most recent quarterly earnings surpassed analyst estimates, reporting $0.61** earnings per share and revenue of $165.61 billion.
• The company has declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, which will be paid on September 2nd, with a yield of 90.0% and a payout ratio of 40.17%.

Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,516,918 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,655 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $133,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $227,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,080,073 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.68. The stock had a trading volume of 17,913,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,932,130. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.14 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $97.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $827.41 billion, a PE ratio of 44.31, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (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 business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.70.

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.