AGP Franklin LLC Acquires 2,652 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• AGP Franklin LLC has increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 12.8%, acquiring an additional 2,652 shares, bringing their total ownership to 23,373 shares valued at approximately $2.2 million.
• CEO C Douglas McMillon and EVP Kathryn J. Mclay have both sold shares of Walmart recently, with McMillon selling 29,148 shares for about $2.8 million and Mclay selling 28,000 shares for approximately $2.7 million.
• Several analysts have upgraded Walmart's stock ratings and price targets, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $106.67.

AGP Franklin LLC lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 12.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,373 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,652 shares during the quarter. AGP Franklin LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Whelan Financial grew its stake in Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% in the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group cut 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $98.14. The company had a trading volume of 6,625,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,110,559. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $783.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $96.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.93.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their position. 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 business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $380,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,912 shares of company stock worth $13,863,813 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.