Independent Wealth Network Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,568 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $1,207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 579,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,352,180. This trade represents a 2.21 % 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 this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,928 shares of company stock worth $8,978,123 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.69.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $93.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $753.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $91.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.87. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.44 and a 1 year high of $96.18.

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

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.