Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Purchases 105,430 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 105,430 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.8% of Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $47,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 290.7% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 270,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,250,000 after purchasing an additional 200,947 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $723,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 159.0% in the 1st quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 263,650 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,864,000 after buying an additional 161,846 shares in the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,298,000 after acquiring an additional 8,834 shares during the period. Finally, Whalerock Point Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 213.5% during the 1st quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 29,613 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 20,167 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of WMT traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.83. The stock had a trading volume of 14,396,543 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,546,657. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $85.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $681.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,348,559.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,873,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $312,322,993.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Walmart from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

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.