Raymond James Trust N.A. Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 601,374 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 8,348 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.1% of Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 138.3% in the second 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $88.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $81.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.54. The stock has a market cap of $709.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $88.64.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.49.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,687,998,026.24. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 over the last quarter. 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.