Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 301,784 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,152 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $24,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,197 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,236,769 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,522,369,000 after acquiring an additional 350,881 shares during the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 45.0% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,298,000 after acquiring 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 third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,400,000 after acquiring an additional 105,430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 14.9% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s 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 owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. This represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.88.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $91.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,358,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,991,728. The company has a market cap of $738.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.65, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.48. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $92.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

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

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.