Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 55,581 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hobart Private Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Hobart Private Capital LLC now owns 6,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group boosted its stake in Walmart by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 9,044 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Walmart by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 138,770 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,538,000 after buying an additional 10,741 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 17,839 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,612,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 100,160 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 1.6 %

Walmart stock opened at $101.17 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $812.73 billion, a PE ratio of 41.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 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 fifty day moving average is $94.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.26. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.85 and a 1-year high of $103.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.01.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at $348,825,769.20. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. 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. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.