Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. Sells 2,470 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 139,262 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,470 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 3.1% of Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank increased its position in Walmart by 8.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 884,820 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $71,449,000 after buying an additional 70,808 shares in the last quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 14,598 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,052 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Marotta Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $209,000. Finally, Wiser Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $247,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,177 shares of company stock worth $12,649,328 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $97.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $92.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.90. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.04 and a 12-month high of $99.00. The firm has a market cap of $787.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. DZ Bank downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.11.

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.