Northeast Investment Management Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Northeast Investment Management increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 355,627 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,224 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.4% of Northeast Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Northeast Investment Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $32,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.95.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $102.77 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $825.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.36. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $103.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.