Equitable Trust Co. Boosts Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Equitable Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,892 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,296 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc grew its position in Walmart by 199.3% in 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 in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $77.23. 23,229,975 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,739,604. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.73. 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 market capitalization of $621.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.50. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $77.47.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.64.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 463,871 shares in the company, valued at $32,239,034.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.48, for a total value of $1,674,847.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 415,743 shares in the company, valued at $27,222,851.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the company’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 directly owns 463,871 shares in the company, valued at $32,239,034.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,332,089 shares of company stock worth $422,145,654. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.