Navellier & Associates Inc. Sells 2,888 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Navellier & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 41.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,027 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,888 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. L & S Advisors Inc raised its stake in Walmart by 27.8% in the third quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 117,728 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,507,000 after buying an additional 25,628 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 42,621 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,437,000 after acquiring an additional 2,431 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 387,540 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,294,000 after acquiring an additional 4,128 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 15,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,262,000 after acquiring an additional 5,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Running Point Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,348,559.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,873,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $312,322,993.92. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $90.44 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $726.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.85 and a 1 year high of $90.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $82.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.75.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. DZ Bank lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.88.

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.