Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Holdings Cut by Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.

Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 11.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,600 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,549 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 2.4% of Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 9,896.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.68.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $97.34 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.90 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $778.81 billion, a PE ratio of 40.39, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average is $95.06 and its 200-day moving average is $93.99. 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 released 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% 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 owned by company 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.