Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 214,333 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,716 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.3% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $19,365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.73. 7,241,488 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,948,687. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $90.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $744.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $53.39 and a one year high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.08.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,238,881.91. The trade was a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total transaction of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 87,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,993,095.80. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.