St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,931 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,366 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.6% of St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America upped their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.69.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,895,688. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $94.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $761.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.92, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.02 and its 200 day moving average is $82.13. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.47 and a 1-year high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share 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.