Persium Advisors LLC Has $648,000 Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Persium Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,378 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 134 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Persium Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Persium Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of WMT opened at $97.46 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.84. The company has a market cap of $779.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.64 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.16.

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.