Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys 8,798 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 84.6%, now holding 19,196 shares valued at $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 8,798 shares in the latest quarter.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 EPS, surpassing analysts' estimates, with a revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, marking a year-over-year increase of 2.5%.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, which will be distributed on September 2nd, with an ex-dividend date of August 15th.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 84.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,196 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 8,798 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Walmart by 432.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its position in Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $99.96 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $97.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.58. 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 52-week low of $72.52 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $797.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during 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%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 144,334 shares of company stock worth $13,913,350 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on WMT shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective 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 raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.29.

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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