Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 755,595 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 58,437 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.2% of Vest Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $51,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. AHL Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 192.1% during the 1st quarter. AHL Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,000 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after acquiring an additional 15,785 shares in the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 38.9% in the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,501 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $270,000. Commerce Bank raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 189.4% during the 1st quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 917,625 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $55,213,000 after purchasing an additional 600,521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 290.7% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 270,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,250,000 after buying an additional 200,947 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $78.84 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $78.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.85. The stock has a market cap of $633.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,239,034.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,513,707 shares of company stock worth $797,374,003. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 6th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.99.

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.