Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Ethic Inc.

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 17.2% in Q1, owning 111,553 shares valued at approximately $9.9 million.
• Walmart reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61 for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and showing a 2.5% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, with a yield of 90.0%, to be paid on September 2nd.

Ethic Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 17.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,553 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 16,342 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whelan Financial increased its position 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 buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 3.7% during the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1.4% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the first quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer's stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $100.91 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.52 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $805.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.12, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $97.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.58.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business 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 earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial raised their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $107.47.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $421,737,000.84. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 144,334 shares of company stock valued at $13,913,350 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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