Stratos Investment Management LLC Acquires 6,482 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Stratos Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 106,366 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,482 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $9,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $99.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $97.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.41. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $792.22 billion, a PE ratio of 42.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total value of $166,795.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 650,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319 in the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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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