Griffin Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Griffin Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 159,920 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,399 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.4% of Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 69,569 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,296 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 12.4% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,653 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $618,000 after acquiring an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the third quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 9,099 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $735,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $258,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.7% during the third quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 8,555 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $691,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total value of $1,063,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 606,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,123,611.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total value of $1,063,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 606,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,123,611.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,335,272 shares of company stock worth $958,101,276. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE WMT opened at $81.71 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $81.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $656.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $77.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 16th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $82.96.

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.