Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 199.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,639,240 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,087,119 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.7% of Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Walmart worth $459,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $558,000. Bridge Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 21.4% in the third quarter. Bridge Advisory LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.2% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 45,731 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,314,000 after buying an additional 1,825 shares in the last quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 30,501 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,878,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 19,404 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,103,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5 %

Walmart stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.32. The stock had a trading volume of 14,196,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,705,756. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.34 and a 52-week high of $61.65. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $59.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $478.11 billion, a PE ratio of 31.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The company's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Walmart to $66.67 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director S Robson Walton sold 14,685,327 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.61, for a total transaction of $860,755,966.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 656,397,261 shares in the company, valued at $38,473,631,458.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director S Robson Walton sold 14,685,327 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.61, for a total transaction of $860,755,966.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 656,397,261 shares in the company, valued at $38,473,631,458.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 10,950 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $638,750.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 104,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,086,850. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,035,551. 46.51% of the stock is 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.

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