Allium Financial Advisors LLC Invests $398,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Allium Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,534 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $398,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of 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 period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Lipe & Dalton raised its position in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $97.45 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.81. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.67 and a 12-month high of $105.30. 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 company has a market cap of $777.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold 126,696 shares of company stock valued at $12,222,245 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by 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.