Sterling Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 270.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,163 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 24,220 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.0% of Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 26,985 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,369,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,389 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 104,774 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,198,000 after acquiring an additional 3,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $380,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.
View Our Latest Analysis on WMT
Walmart Price Performance
Shares of WMT stock opened at $95.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $758.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.55 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $96.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78.
Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.
Insider Transactions at Walmart
In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Walmart Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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