Chickasaw Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Chickasaw Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,251 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.3% of Chickasaw Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,011,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,860,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,079,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 135,334 shares of company stock valued at $12,615,864 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of WMT opened at $99.82 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.16 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.58. The company has a market capitalization of $798.64 billion, a PE ratio of 41.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

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.