Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Avity Investment Management Inc.

Avity Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 29.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,608 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,960 shares during the period. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $405,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,194,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,683 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,167,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017,829 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over 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.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $97.82 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.76. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $65.64 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $782.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its 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 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.16.

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.