Oak Thistle LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,001 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.47.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $68.24 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $548.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.50. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $69.04. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

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 transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares in the company, valued at $6,420,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock valued at $953,023,399. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.