Griffin Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Griffin Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 159,920 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,399 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.4% of Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 199.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 411,745,334 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,774,717,000 after purchasing an additional 274,229,968 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Walmart by 181.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 56,861,234 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,421,342,000 after acquiring an additional 36,625,314 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Walmart by 187.4% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 13,303,200 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,454,000 after acquiring an additional 8,674,100 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Walmart by 284.0% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 11,122,273 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $669,227,000 after purchasing an additional 8,225,552 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 184.1% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 12,567,533 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $756,188,000 after purchasing an additional 8,144,393 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $81.71 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $81.82. The firm has a market cap of $656.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.48, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.19, for a total value of $207,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 387,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,787,946.35. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.19, for a total value of $207,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 387,165 shares in the company, valued at $26,787,946.35. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total transaction of $2,056,445.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,931,301 shares in the company, valued at $277,589,163.61. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,335,272 shares of company stock worth $958,101,276 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.