D.A. Davidson & CO. Buys 23,648 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 394,203 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,648 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $34,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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 fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 69,542 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,283,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6%

WMT opened at $97.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.72, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $97.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.31. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30. 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 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. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors 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 currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 650,977 shares in the company, valued at $61,693,090.29. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.