Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Purchases 23,978 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,088,206 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,978 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.9% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $95,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James lowered their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $95.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.90 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $765.70 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid 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%.

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.