Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,767 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,350 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Walmart by 209.7% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $1,124,000. GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,658,000. Finally, Full Sail Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.62 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.31. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $779.05 billion, a PE ratio of 41.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business 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%. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp boosted 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. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.