Optas LLC Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Optas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 102.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,725 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 14,511 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $94.20 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $751.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $95.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.09. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.41 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus 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.