Principle Wealth Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Principle Wealth Partners LLC trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,140 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 203 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $541,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.08.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total value of $1,207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 579,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,352,180. This represents a 2.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5 %

WMT opened at $102.45 on Wednesday. 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 has a market capitalization of $822.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $94.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.59. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $103.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect 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.