Gleason Group Inc. Acquires 9,023 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 190.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,767 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,023 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 7,816 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,501 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Motco boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Motco now owns 58,301 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,191,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares during the period. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,754 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $346,000 after acquiring an additional 3,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 78,345 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,351,000 after acquiring an additional 15,448 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE WMT traded up $0.73 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $68.15. 5,954,944 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,053,330. The stock has a market cap of $548.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.05. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.85 and a 1 year high of $69.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.85, for a total value of $877,406.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 658,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,031,755.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.85, for a total value of $877,406.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 658,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,031,755.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.26, for a total value of $180,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 524,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,613,179.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,480,846 shares of company stock valued at $949,751,461. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Walmart from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.97.

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.