Gradient Investments LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 407,929 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,647 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $35,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $98.57 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.16 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $93.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.47. The firm has a market cap of $788.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Company 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.