Simmons Bank Raises Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Simmons Bank raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,537 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,076 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.5% of Simmons Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 159.0% during the first quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 263,650 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,864,000 after purchasing an additional 161,846 shares during the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,298,000 after buying an additional 8,834 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 21.9% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,400,000 after buying an additional 105,430 shares in the last quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 213.5% during the first quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 29,613 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 20,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 201.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $85.01 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $85.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $683.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $80.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.44.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walmart from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.15.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total transaction of $182,823,328.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 619,646,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total transaction of $182,823,328.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.