Trust Co of the South Acquires 156 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Trust Co of the South boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,509 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.4% of Trust Co of the South’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Trust Co of the South’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 46,340 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,138,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904 shares during the period. Michael S. Ryan Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.1% in the second quarter. Michael S. Ryan Inc. now owns 6,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. bought a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $597,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 219.6% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 15,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Old Port Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 192.8% in the 1st quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 24,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 16,275 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of WMT traded down $1.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.46. 23,578,664 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,048,109. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $71.33. The company has a market cap of $550.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.30, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total value of $2,056,445.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,931,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $277,589,163.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total transaction of $73,610,637.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,537,863 shares of company stock worth $954,247,577. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.