Tredje AP fonden Trims Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Tredje AP fonden has reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 27.3%, selling 552,380 shares, which now represents 1.2% of the fund’s investment portfolio with a total value of $128.9 million.
• Insider trading at Walmart shows executive vice presidents Daniel J. Bartlett and John R. Furner sold shares, indicating a combined decrease of their positions totaling 14,869 shares.
• Walmart's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $0.61, surpassing expectations, with a revenue increase of 2.5% year-over-year, totaling $165.61 billion.

Tredje AP fonden lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 27.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,467,809 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 552,380 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of Tredje AP fonden's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in Walmart were worth $128,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Lipe & Dalton raised its position in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.59. 13,844,039 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,240,789. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $96.78 and a 200 day moving average of $94.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company 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 (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, 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given 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 payout ratio is 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,078,027. 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.