Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,578 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the quarter. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.46 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.92. The firm has a market capitalization 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 one year low of $65.90 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. On average, equities 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 declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.16.

Walmart 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.