Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by XML Financial LLC

XML Financial LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,119 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whelan Financial increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Planning Center Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Planning Center Inc. now owns 6,018 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $96.16 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $767.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.55 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $96.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.