Welch & Forbes LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 520,363 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,816 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $45,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total value of $1,887,041.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares in the company, valued at approximately $430,724,989.77. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 142,695 shares of company stock worth $13,710,162 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, hitting $95.15. 4,988,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,063,812. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $759.30 billion, a PE ratio of 40.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm's 50 day moving average is $96.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.59.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.