Certuity LLC Purchases 6,382 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Certuity LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 24.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,270 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,382 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after buying an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake in Walmart by 205.1% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,693 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after buying an additional 9,877 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE:WMT opened at $101.05 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 company has a market cap of $806.42 billion, a PE ratio of 43.18, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.85 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.47.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 144,334 shares of company stock valued at $13,913,350 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.