Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Buys 2,662 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its Walmart holdings by 17.5% by acquiring an additional 2,662 shares, bringing its total to 17,856 shares valued at approximately $1.57 million.
• Walmart's latest earnings report indicated earnings per share of $0.61, surpassing estimates and showing a 2.5% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year.
• Multiple analysts have boosted their price targets for Walmart, with a current consensus target price of $106.67 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 17.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,856 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,662 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted 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 buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,707.6% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its holdings in Walmart by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,765,159 shares of the retailer's stock worth $882,282,000 after buying an additional 3,182,477 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9%

WMT traded up $0.85 during trading on Friday, hitting $97.45. 12,845,633 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,524,539. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $96.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.81. The firm has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 126,696 shares of company stock worth $12,222,245 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho lifted 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

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.