SOL Capital Management CO Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

SOL Capital Management CO cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,860 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. SOL Capital Management CO’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Omnia Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 28.7% in the 1st quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 5,910 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,319 shares in the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Walmart by 161.0% in the first quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd now owns 248,816 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,844,000 after purchasing an additional 153,468 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth about $207,000. FFG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $12,489,000. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 66,206 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,812,000 after buying an additional 1,741 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $96.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $767.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $96.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.22. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released 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 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders 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 presently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.19, for a total value of $2,743,189.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,480,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,003,883.93. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.