Grant Private Wealth Management Inc Acquires 749 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Grant Private Wealth Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 14.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,111 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 749 shares during the period. Grant Private Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $94.20 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $751.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.41 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Research analysts predict 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.50.

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.