World Investment Advisors Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 285,291 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,776 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Walmart were worth $25,046,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th 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. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total transaction of $1,887,041.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,431,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $430,724,989.77. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $98.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $784.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.35. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two investment 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 MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.