Prospect Financial Services LLC Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

by · The Markets Daily

Prospect Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,478 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 452 shares during the quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.82 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $782.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.59, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.64 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at $35,288,807.84. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.16.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Walmart

Walmart Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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