Equitable Trust Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 67,528 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,250 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $102.45 on Wednesday. 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 $94.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.59. The company has a market cap of $822.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $103.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.08.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728 over the last quarter. 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.