Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,290 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 760 shares during the period. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $4,658,000. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scalar Gauge Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC now owns 69,000 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,234,000 after buying an additional 30,000 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total value of $166,795.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 650,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,693,090.29. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total transaction of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of WMT opened at $94.36 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.