Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Sterling Investment Counsel LLC

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 270.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,163 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 24,220 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.0% of Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in 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 during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 650,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Mizuho lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $1.07 on Friday, reaching $96.16. The stock had a trading volume of 20,513,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,935,709. The firm has a market capitalization of $767.41 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $96.39 and a 200 day moving average of $94.15. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.55 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.