Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Center for Financial Planning Inc.

Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 7.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,885 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position 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 period. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $96.16 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $767.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.55 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.14.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 650,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,693,090.29. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.