Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,064 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $101.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $93.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.95. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $103.11. The firm has a market cap of $812.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.01.

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.