Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,601,633 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,419,167 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.5% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.38% of Walmart worth $2,686,517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,997,734.20. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total transaction of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,619,848.90. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $98.29 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.67 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.35. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $784.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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