Pure Financial Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 19.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,968 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,224 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 9,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $831,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $97.24 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $776.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $96.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,096,455 shares in the company, valued at $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was 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 owns 520,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,332,475.50. This represents a 0.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 123,295 shares of company stock valued at $11,801,762. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two research 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.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.