Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 5,221 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 23.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,480 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,221 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.9% of Sentry Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $0.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $99.39. 11,106,554 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,875,561. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $795.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50-day moving average is $94.05 and its 200 day moving average is $93.63. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.64 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect 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 given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $105.16.

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.