WJ Interests LLC Invests $421,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

WJ Interests LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,800 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $421,000. Walmart accounts for 0.2% of WJ Interests LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $95.10 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.55 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $96.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $758.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

About Walmart

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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