Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Holdings Raised by Shum Financial Group Inc.

Shum Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,892 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 672 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.7% of Shum Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Shum Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Whelan Financial raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total value of $166,795.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 650,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $96.16 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.55 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $767.41 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The business’s 50 day moving average is $96.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.15.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp upped their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.