Atwood & Palmer Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Atwood & Palmer Inc. lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 268,851 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,491 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.6% of Atwood & Palmer Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Atwood & Palmer Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $23,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,283,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $10,645,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.0%

WMT opened at $97.45 on Tuesday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $94.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.97. The company has a market capitalization of $779.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.43, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.90 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. 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.