Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Acquires 65,443 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 182.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,314 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,443 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $67.71 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $64.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.35. The company has a market capitalization of $544.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.52. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $49.85 and a fifty-two week high of $69.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 6th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.97.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $1,991,790.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,851,892.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $1,991,790.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,960,402 shares in the company, valued at $270,851,892.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $177,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at $30,816,896.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,502,762 shares of company stock valued at $951,475,618 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.