Walker Financial Services Inc. Acquires 194 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Walker Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,163 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.5% of Walker Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Walker Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 112,181.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,854,919 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,240,599,000 after buying an additional 22,834,564 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,598,736,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,164,937.0% in the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,718,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000,000 after purchasing an additional 4,717,995 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7,546.2% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,166,995 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $467,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,125,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 179.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,578,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $254,078,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,948 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $164.60 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $159.34 and its 200 day moving average is $152.70. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $128.07 and a one year high of $165.85. The firm has a market cap of $443.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.66, a P/E/G 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.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total transaction of $161,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 169,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total transaction of $161,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 169,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,490,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $231,105,879.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,493,773 shares of company stock worth $1,005,802,298 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $169.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $210.00 in a report on Monday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Walmart from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. TD Cowen reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.51.

Walmart 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.