General Partner Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

General Partner Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,030 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.0% of General Partner Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. General Partner Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 411,745,334 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,774,717,000 after purchasing an additional 274,229,968 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Walmart by 181.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 56,861,234 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,421,342,000 after acquiring an additional 36,625,314 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 36,282,740 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,456,704,000 after purchasing an additional 644,353 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 16,282,129 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,102,463,000 after buying an additional 2,246,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Walmart by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,184,945 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,095,946,000 after buying an additional 834,005 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at $37,113,904.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 606,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,123,611.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,334,670 shares of company stock valued at $958,025,027 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $80.44 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $81.60. The company has a market capitalization of $647.02 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s fifty day moving average is $75.05 and its 200-day moving average is $67.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on WMT shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Walmart from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. HSBC increased their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.62.

Walmart 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.