Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Grove Bank & Trust

Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 10.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,615 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $94.28 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.41 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.11. The firm has a market cap of $752.39 billion, a PE ratio of 39.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 over the last 90 days. 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.