Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Acquired by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1,262.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,090,096 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,010,071 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 2.2% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $65,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.09.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $71.03 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $571.29 billion, a PE ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.95. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $71.10.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total transaction of $73,610,637.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,527,738 shares of company stock valued at $953,190,060 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.