Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is Capital Investment Counsel Inc's 4th Largest Position

Capital Investment Counsel Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 318,951 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 17,528 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 4.2% of Capital Investment Counsel Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Capital Investment Counsel Inc's holdings in Walmart were worth $28,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two 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 MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 650,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,060,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.29. The stock had a trading volume of 7,686,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,068,909. The company has a market cap of $784.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.14 and a 200 day moving average of $94.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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.