Westchester Capital Management Inc. Sells 9,465 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Westchester Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 270,031 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 9,465 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 5.3% of Westchester Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Westchester Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 201.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 1,397 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 165.4% during the 1st quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 270,147 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,255,000 after purchasing an additional 168,346 shares in the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $572,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 200.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 32,284 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,943,000 after purchasing an additional 21,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 85.1% in the first quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 117,239 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,054,000 after purchasing an additional 53,885 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $84.87 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $85.54. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $80.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $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. The stock has a market capitalization of $682.21 billion, a PE ratio of 44.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

Walmart Company 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.