Bowman & Co S.C. Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Bowman & Co S.C. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 192.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,524 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,053 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.3% of Bowman & Co S.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Bowman & Co S.C.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $66.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.97.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $68.30 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $63.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $69.04. The company has a market cap of $549.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.52.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.85, for a total value of $877,406.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 658,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,031,755.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,451,722 shares of company stock worth $947,990,915. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Company 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.