Kowal Investment Group LLC Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Kowal Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 238.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,076 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,857 shares during the period. Kowal Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 13.5% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 73,360 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,731,000 after purchasing an additional 8,747 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 12,778 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,044,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 2,155 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 12,859 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,057,000 after acquiring an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 339,828 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $54,341,000 after acquiring an additional 13,209 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $68.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.53. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $69.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $547.52 billion, a PE ratio of 29.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 521,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,816,896.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.47.

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.