Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. Sells 13,982 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 25.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,316 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 13,982 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.4% of Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,194,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,683 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 90,635,238 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,167,186,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017,829 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,408,452,000 after buying an additional 1,133,201 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $97.45 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.90 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $779.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $94.86 and its 200-day moving average is $93.97.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research 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 was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. 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 presently 40.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.68.

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.