Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC

FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,763 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 803 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.1% of FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Whelan Financial boosted its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $97.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $778.65 billion, a PE ratio of 41.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $96.75 and a 200-day moving average of $94.89. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given 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 is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Raymond James Financial reduced 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. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock worth $14,078,027 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart 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.