Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 146,584 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,748 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $5,737,355,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,015,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,796,129,000 after acquiring an additional 514,036 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 140,951 shares of company stock valued at $13,543,436. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

Walmart stock opened at $95.83 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $764.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.67 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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. Mizuho lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.