Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stake Reduced by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 302,593 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 19,306 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 0.7% of Kentucky Retirement Systems’ portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Walmart were worth $24,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 45.0% during the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,298,000 after buying an additional 8,834 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,400,000 after acquiring an additional 105,430 shares in the last quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.5% in the 1st quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 29,613 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 20,167 shares during the last quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 201.0% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,397 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $503,517,000 after purchasing an additional 809,352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on WMT shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Walmart from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.18.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $84.27 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $677.38 billion, a PE ratio of 43.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $85.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. 45.58% of the stock is owned by 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.