Zhang Financial LLC Purchases 12,707 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Zhang Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 86.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,376 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 12,707 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $94.80. The company had a trading volume of 17,813,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,893,103. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $758.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.95 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $95.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.01.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.