Trust Co of the South Cuts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Trust Co of the South lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 11.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,035 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,943 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.4% of Trust Co of the South's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Trust Co of the South's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $359,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

WMT traded up $1.47 on Friday, reaching $98.57. 29,968,085 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,929,068. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $64.16 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.26. The company has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was 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 approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.94.

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.