NTV Asset Management LLC Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

NTV Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,089 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,285 shares during the quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $99.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.41. 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 $792.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.42, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value 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 represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

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.