Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 538,288 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 25.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,587,411 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 538,288 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Teacher Retirement System of Texas' investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Walmart were worth $139,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.62 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $97.02 and a 200-day moving average of $94.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $779.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total transaction of $1,887,041.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares in the company, valued at $430,724,989.77. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart 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.

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