Oxbow Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Oxbow Advisors LLC lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,114 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 783 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.67.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, 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 value of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,997,734.20. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:WMT opened at $94.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $97.10 and a 200-day moving average of $94.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.03 billion, a PE ratio of 40.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

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.