CENTRAL TRUST Co Cuts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 548,444 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 9,921 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of CENTRAL TRUST Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. 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, June 9th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 135,294 shares of company stock worth $12,656,659 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

WMT opened at $94.24 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $752.04 billion, a PE ratio of 40.27, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.55 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for 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 was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.