Aureus Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Aureus Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,850 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% during the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $92.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $92.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $743.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $83.35 and its 200 day moving average is $75.04.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $1,207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 579,915 shares in the company, valued at $53,352,180. This represents a 2.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,385,186 shares of company stock worth $963,206,365 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.88.

Walmart 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.