Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 236.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 115,217 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 80,952 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the period. Leslie Global Wealth LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC now owns 69,000 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,234,000 after purchasing an additional 30,000 shares during the period. Finally, Monument Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company'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 owned 4,431,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at $430,724,989.77. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 155,820 shares of company stock worth $14,965,435 over the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.20 on Tuesday, hitting $95.87. 9,040,232 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,123,519. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm's 50-day moving average is $96.81 and its 200 day moving average is $94.68. The stock has a market cap of $765.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.97, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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