Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Has $69.32 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 10.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 789,576 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 94,000 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.8% of Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $69,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Two 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. This trade represents a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,534 shares of company stock valued at $12,833,664 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of WMT opened at $94.20 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.41 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The business’s fifty day moving average is $95.79 and its 200-day moving average is $94.08. 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 firm has a market cap of $751.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

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.