Simmons Bank Buys 11,076 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Simmons Bank grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 256,537 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,076 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.5% of Simmons Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 201.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,397 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 165.4% in the first quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 270,147 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,255,000 after acquiring an additional 168,346 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 307.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 160,292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,645,000 after acquiring an additional 120,919 shares during the last quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 185.7% during the 1st quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 4,160 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 2,704 shares during the period. Finally, River Global Investors LLP raised its holdings in Walmart by 196.6% during the 1st quarter. River Global Investors LLP now owns 23,169 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 15,357 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE WMT opened at $85.01 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $80.82 and its 200-day moving average is $72.44. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $683.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.20, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $85.54.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 384,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,765,104.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,687,998,026.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total value of $232,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 384,165 shares in the company, valued at $29,765,104.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.15.

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.