Generate Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Generate Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 161.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 248,816 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 153,468 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.5% of Generate Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Generate Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Whelan Financial grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 6,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Planning Center Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Planning Center Inc. now owns 6,018 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Mainstream Capital Management LLC now owns 10,871 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $97.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $776.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 123,295 shares of company stock worth $11,801,762. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Company 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.