Centerstone Investors LLC Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Centerstone Investors LLC decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 78.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,500 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,396 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.5% of Centerstone Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Centerstone Investors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $95.95 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.16 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $767.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.81, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,252,135. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 148,435 shares of company stock worth $13,886,290 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.94.

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.