Waddell & Associates LLC Has $3.44 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Waddell & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMTFree Report) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 39,184 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.4% of Waddell & Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Waddell & Associates LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Whelan Financial grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% during the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. grew its holdings in 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 period. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on WMT

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $380,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,511,128.70. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 628,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 126,696 shares of company stock valued at $12,222,245 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.45 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $96.76 and a 200-day moving average of $94.83. The company has a market capitalization of $777.72 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMTGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

About Walmart

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Walmart (NYSE:WMT)

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