Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Bought by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,939 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 18,127 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $80.60 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $647.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.51. 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 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $80.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 934,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $74,215,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 610,843,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,537,610,048.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 934,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $74,215,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 610,843,318 shares in the company, valued at $48,537,610,048.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 463,871 shares in the company, valued at $32,239,034.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock valued at $788,678,803. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.99.

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.