Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY

Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,125 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,599 shares during the quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY’s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Sageworth Trust Co boosted its stake 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 period. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Knott David M Jr acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $155.50 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $418.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $136.09 and a 12 month high of $169.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $162.21 and its 200-day moving average is $157.87.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The company had revenue of $160.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Walmart from $175.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $169.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Walmart from $159.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.37, for a total value of $164,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 167,735 shares in the company, valued at $27,570,601.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.99, for a total transaction of $1,582,306.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,451,801 shares in the company, valued at $236,629,044.99. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.37, for a total transaction of $164,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 167,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,570,601.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,166 shares of company stock valued at $5,066,701 in the last 90 days. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.