Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,067 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 112.0% in the third quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. JDM Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 105.3% in the fourth quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Lipe & Dalton acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 31.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Gordon Haskett raised Walmart from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Walmart from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Walmart from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Walmart from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.13.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 193,131 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.53, for a total value of $27,526,961.43. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 265,437,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,832,787,063.33. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 193,131 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.53, for a total transaction of $27,526,961.43. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 265,437,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,832,787,063.33. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rachel L. Brand sold 9,334 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.83, for a total value of $1,323,841.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 155,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,086,193.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,763,036 shares of company stock valued at $2,801,006,374 in the last three months. 47.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.16 on Friday, hitting $146.32. 2,357,276 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,173,867. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $148.72 and its 200 day moving average is $145.87. The company has a market capitalization of $394.68 billion, a PE ratio of 35.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $117.90 and a 1-year high of $154.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $152.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $147.91 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.30% and a net margin of 1.82%. The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 6.21 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Profile

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Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.