Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Sells 4,323 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,958 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,323 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,796,129,000 after purchasing an additional 514,036 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $99.27. 12,918,621 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,048,336. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $97.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.36. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $792.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer 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 Wednesday, May 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

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.