Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Lessened by Beacon Financial Group

Beacon Financial Group decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,758 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 606 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,800,743 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $142,973,000 after purchasing an additional 83,376 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after buying an additional 18,644 shares in the last quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $285,000. First United Bank & Trust grew its position in Walmart by 8.7% in the third quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 8,555 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $691,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $258,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at $348,825,769.20. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $103.62 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $832.42 billion, a PE ratio of 42.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.85 and a 12-month high of $103.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.82.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America increased their price target on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.56.

Walmart Company Profile

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.