Buckingham Capital Management Inc. Purchases New Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Buckingham Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,294 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Sageworth Trust Co lifted its position in Walmart by 2,414.3% in the first quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 176 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 58.3% in the first quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 190 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 387.8% in the first quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 200 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $29,000. 33.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $164.35 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $128.07 and a 12-month high of $165.85. The company has a market capitalization of $442.36 billion, a PE ratio of 31.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 17th. The retailer reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $161.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.22 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 21.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on WMT shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $186.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 14th. TD Cowen restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $166.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.51.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.04, for a total transaction of $1,505,128.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,490,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $231,105,879.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 473,370 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.75, for a total value of $73,727,377.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 241,479,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,610,376,989.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.04, for a total transaction of $1,505,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,490,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,105,879.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,493,773 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,802,298. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.