Moody National Bank Trust Division Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Moody National Bank Trust Division lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,126 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,282 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Moody National Bank Trust Division’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in Walmart by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 63,925 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,945,000 after buying an additional 8,083 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 55,830 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,044,000 after buying an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 336,761 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,487,000 after acquiring an additional 3,997 shares in the last quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd grew its stake in Walmart by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd now owns 4,500 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thomasville National Bank increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 55,111 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,979,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $1.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $91.65. The company had a trading volume of 9,960,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,137,566. The stock has a market cap of $736.26 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $53.44 and a one year high of $96.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $90.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.63.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,116. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Melius Research began coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.08.

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.