Focus Financial Network Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,615 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,859 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. InTrack Investment Management Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.0% in the first quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc now owns 12,988 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.9% in the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 17,149 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its position in shares of Walmart by 5.6% in the first quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,167 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Northeast Investment Management grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the first quarter. Northeast Investment Management now owns 364,261 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,978,000 after purchasing an additional 8,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, My Legacy Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the first quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 16,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $778.81 billion, a PE ratio of 40.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.99. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.90 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total transaction of $166,883.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.68.

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.