Blue Trust Inc. Sells 15,169 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,521 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,533,000. Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 57,688 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,212,000 after acquiring an additional 9,394 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $359,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,000. Finally, Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Rooted Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,344 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of WMT opened at $104.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $835.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.70, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.09. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.99 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. DZ Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,825,769.20. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.