Argentarii LLC Purchases 2,399 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Argentarii LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,406 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.8% of Argentarii LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Argentarii LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth $35,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:WMT opened at $98.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $784.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.67 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $97.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders 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 of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,421,282. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.