Phoenix Wealth Advisors Trims Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Phoenix Wealth Advisors cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,124 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,841 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.8% of Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Walmart were worth $4,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brophy Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Iowa State Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $541,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE WMT opened at $93.75 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.87. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.44 and a 12 month high of $96.18. 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 has a market capitalization of $753.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 97,928 shares of company stock worth $8,978,123. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. DZ Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.69.

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.