Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Purchased by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 146,589 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,387 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 0.7% of Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Investment Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 9,413 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in Walmart by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,987 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $84.45 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $80.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $678.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.92, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $85.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced 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 company 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%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 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.