WestEnd Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 511,054 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 17,131 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of WestEnd Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $44,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,683 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Walmart by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $97.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $777.37 billion, a PE ratio of 41.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $96.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. Walmart's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current 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. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,688,803. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.50.

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.

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