Smart Money Group LLC Cuts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Smart Money Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,078 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,195 shares during the period. Smart Money Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Mizuho increased their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $97.62 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $779.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.72, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $97.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.31. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. 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.