Evanson Asset Management LLC Sells 3,300 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Evanson Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,193 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,300 shares during the quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.2% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 383,412 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,961,000 after purchasing an additional 11,816 shares during the period. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 159.6% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 24,544 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,710,000 after buying an additional 15,091 shares during the period. HighVista Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 24.3% in the 2nd quarter. HighVista Strategies LLC now owns 22,500 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 34.3% in the second quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. now owns 185,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,553,000 after acquiring an additional 47,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beck Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. Beck Capital Management LLC now owns 69,472 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,704,000 after purchasing an additional 12,104 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

WMT opened at $92.02 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.46. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.44 and a 52 week high of $96.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $739.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % 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, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.49.

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.