Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Holdings Lessened by Guardian Investment Management

Guardian Investment Management lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 21.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,000 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,800 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 3.3% of Guardian Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Guardian Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $4,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% during 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 period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1,707.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512,368 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,511 shares of company stock valued at $13,493,751 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.50.

Walmart Trading Up 0.5%

Walmart stock traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $98.25. The stock had a trading volume of 15,633,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,027,671. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $784.08 billion, a PE ratio of 41.99, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.