Elgethun Capital Management Buys 16,276 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Elgethun Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 244.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,945 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,276 shares during the period. Elgethun Capital Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,239,034.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,239,034.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,498,614 shares of company stock valued at $951,441,747 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.60.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded down $0.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $69.37. 4,198,633 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,285,344. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $71.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $557.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.50.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.