UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp has reduced its stake in Walmart by 7.0%, selling 3,678 shares to hold a total of 48,510 shares valued at approximately $4.26 million.
• Several hedge funds have increased their positions in Walmart, notably Brighton Jones LLC which raised its stake by 28.8%, now owning 98,150 shares worth about $8.87 million.
• Walmart's stock currently has a market cap of $781.63 billion with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $106.67 from analysts.

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 48,510 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,678 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $4,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,696,396,000 after acquiring an additional 233,040 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 28,365,122 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,562,789,000 after acquiring an additional 368,711 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 25,917,346 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,341,632,000 after acquiring an additional 2,643,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 11,550,898 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,014,053,000 after acquiring an additional 197,230 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE WMT traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.40. 16,740,547 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,707,151. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $785.27 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 95.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,066,674.80. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 143,912 shares of company stock valued at $13,863,813 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.