Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Montecito Bank & Trust

Montecito Bank & Trust reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,412 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 864 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE WMT opened at $94.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $761.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.92, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.95. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.47 and a 12 month high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,895,688 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.69.

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.