Exeter Financial LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Exeter Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 16.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 62,733 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,776 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 2.5% of Exeter Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Exeter Financial LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 23,779 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,088,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Walmart by 74.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 16,160 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,419,000 after buying an additional 6,893 shares in the last quarter. Waller Financial Planning Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 68.5% during the first quarter. Waller Financial Planning Group Inc. now owns 4,725 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 1,921 shares in the last quarter. Marotta Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.3% during the first quarter. Marotta Asset Management now owns 2,591 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 17.3% during the first quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 2,679 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded up $1.47 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 29,968,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,890,104. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $65.16 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $93.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.41.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. Insiders own 45.58% 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.