UMB Bank n.a. Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

UMB Bank n.a. lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 629,564 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 22,911 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.9% of UMB Bank n.a.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $55,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 992 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,645,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $97.46 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.90 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $779.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $94.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.16.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

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.