Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by HighMark Wealth Management LLC

HighMark Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 356.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 944 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $83,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whelan Financial increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Planning Center Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the first quarter. Planning Center Inc. now owns 6,018 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Mainstream Capital Management LLC now owns 10,871 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $96.22 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $767.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS 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 paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.