Evanson Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Evanson Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,843 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,350 shares during the quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,079,000 after buying an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were 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 $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of WMT opened at $96.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $767.41 billion, a PE ratio of 41.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.64 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.15.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued 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 analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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