Davis Capital Management Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Davis Capital Management trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,342 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 518 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.7% of Davis Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Davis Capital Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the last quarter. Iowa State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after buying an additional 2,107,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $541,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 97,928 shares of company stock worth $8,978,123 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $93.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.62 and a 200-day moving average of $81.87. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.44 and a 52-week high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

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.