Spirepoint Private Client LLC Acquires 7,440 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Spirepoint Private Client LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,568 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,440 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $7,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake 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. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 152,419 shares of company stock worth $14,295,650. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.8%

WMT opened at $97.88 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.55 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $781.12 billion, a PE ratio of 41.83, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $96.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.15.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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