Twin Capital Management Inc. Acquires 66,353 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 187.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,822 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 66,353 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of Twin Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:WMT traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $70.21. The company had a trading volume of 10,376,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,322,670. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.85 and a 1 year high of $71.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $67.59 and a 200 day moving average of $61.57. The company has a market cap of $564.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.50.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.60.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 94,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,420,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $166,661.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 463,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,239,034.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,420,220. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,498,614 shares of company stock worth $951,441,747. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.