American Trust Purchases 252 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

American Trust lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,833 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in Walmart were worth $734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 36.0% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 15,140 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 4,008 shares in the last quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 162.2% during the 2nd quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 11,295 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 6,987 shares during the period. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $445,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,607,000. Finally, Lazari Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,997 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.6 %

Walmart stock opened at $81.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $74.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $49.85 and a twelve month high of $81.60. The company has a market capitalization of $653.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at $37,113,904.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total value of $1,063,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 606,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,123,611.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,334,670 shares of company stock worth $958,025,027. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $81.62.

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.