Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,616 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 375 shares during the quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $359,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% 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 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $99.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $795.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $94.33 and a 200 day moving average of $93.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $65.64 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.