First Horizon Advisors Inc. Sells 224,595 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 49.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 231,838 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 224,595 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Whelan Financial boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in 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 boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% during the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew 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. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total value of $1,887,041.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,431,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $430,724,989.77. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $97.62 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.05 billion, a PE ratio of 41.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.