Mustard Seed Financial LLC Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Mustard Seed Financial LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,950 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 415 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 3.2% of Mustard Seed Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Mustard Seed Financial LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. True North Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,449 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,209,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 5,568 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $503,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,388,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $215,820,000 after acquiring an additional 14,501 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm raised their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $94.84 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $91.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.95. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.47 and a 1-year high of $96.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $761.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,895,688 in the last three months. Corporate 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.