Community Trust & Investment Co. Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Community Trust & Investment Co. trimmed its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 326,732 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 38,047 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.8% of Community Trust & Investment Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $29,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,591,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total transaction of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. This represents a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 138,347 shares of company stock valued at $12,311,491. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $90.79 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $90.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.96. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.44 and a 52-week high of $96.18. The company has a market capitalization of $729.35 billion, a PE ratio of 37.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.08.

About Walmart

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.