Perpetual Ltd Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Perpetual Ltd boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 106.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,297 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,541 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its position in shares of Walmart by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,879 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $93.26 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.44 and a 12 month high of $96.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.79. The stock has a market cap of $749.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.69.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 5,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,928 shares of company stock worth $8,978,123 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.