Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 5.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,797,775 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 142,256 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.9% of Bessemer Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $439,753,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sageworth Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2,414.3% in the 1st quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 176 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Knott David M Jr purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $38,000. 33.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 169,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 169,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $708,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,597,278. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 31,166 shares of company stock valued at $5,066,701. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $187.00 to $177.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Raymond James increased their price objective 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. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Walmart from $169.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.00.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.43 on Monday, hitting $155.78. 2,236,718 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,970,054. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $162.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.29 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 1-year low of $136.09 and a 1-year high of $169.94.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $159.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.