McLean Asset Management Corp Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

McLean Asset Management Corp lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,186 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 553 shares during the quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.6% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 159,330 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,988,000 after purchasing an additional 13,895 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 8.0% during the first quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 13,196 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,158,000 after buying an additional 973 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 51,990 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,564,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Milestone Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 156.7% in the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.2% in the first quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 6,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $99.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.16 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.58. The stock has a market cap of $798.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. DZ Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,334 shares of company stock worth $12,615,864. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.