Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Lowered by Essex Savings Bank

Essex Savings Bank reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,463 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 533 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.9% of Essex Savings Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Essex Savings Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Investment Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the third quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,763,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,987 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co of the South increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 25,647 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $76.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $84.83 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $85.54. The company has a market cap of $681.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.11, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $80.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.