Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 43.0% during the first quarter, now holding 88,004 shares valued at $7.73 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Geode Capital Management LLC and Northern Trust Corp, also boosted their holdings in Walmart, reflecting strong institutional interest in the retailer.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, with a revenue of $165.61 billion, a 2.5% increase from the previous year.

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 43.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 88,004 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 26,452 shares during the quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Whelan Financial boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,078,027 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Mizuho upped their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $97.59. The company had a trading volume of 13,844,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,240,789. The business's 50-day moving average is $96.78 and its 200 day moving average is $94.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $778.81 billion, a PE ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date 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.