Western Financial Corp CA Acquires New Shares in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Western Financial Corp CA purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,746 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,085,000. Walmart accounts for about 1.2% of Western Financial Corp CA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 boosted its position in Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,201 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT traded up $0.61 on Monday, reaching $97.88. 17,797,232 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,037,242. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $781.12 billion, a PE ratio of 41.83, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $96.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share 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 net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current 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 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 payout ratio is 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,688,803. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.