Montecito Bank & Trust Has $1.57 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Montecito Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 192.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,108 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,178 shares during the quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Seven Mile Advisory raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $915,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.81, for a total transaction of $798,131.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 645,517 shares in the company, valued at $39,253,888.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $177,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.81, for a total transaction of $798,131.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 645,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,253,888.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,493,971 shares of company stock valued at $950,549,592. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $68.03 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $63.08 and its 200-day moving average is $58.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $547.20 billion, a PE ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.52. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $68.13.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Walmart from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Walmart from $64.33 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.97.

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.