Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stock Position Lowered by Marshall Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Marshall Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Walmart Inc. by 20.2%, now holding 25,951 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million.
• Walmart's recent earnings report showed a 2.5% increase in revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share at $0.61, exceeding analysts' expectations.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.235 per share, with a yield of 0.95% and a payout ratio of 40.17%.

Marshall Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 20.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,951 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,579 shares during the period. Marshall Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Whelan Financial grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,275,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% during the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1%

WMT stock opened at $97.57 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $778.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.68. The business's 50 day moving average is $96.75 and its 200-day moving average is $94.89. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $421,737,000.84. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,078,027 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.