Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,985 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.9% of Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,369,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:WMT opened at $95.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $758.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.55 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 650,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,294 shares of company stock valued at $12,656,659. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

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.