Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Bessemer Securities LLC

Bessemer Securities LLC cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 42.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,717 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,000 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.1% of Bessemer Securities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Bessemer Securities LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. LMG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.3% during the second quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,476,000 after buying an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the second quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,561 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,104,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. WJ Interests LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15.0% during the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 7,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the period. 33.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $155.90. 1,420,091 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,965,710. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $162.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.87. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $136.09 and a 1-year high of $169.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The company had revenue of $160.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 17th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $708,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,597,278. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $708,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,597,278. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total transaction of $161,370.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 169,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,166 shares of company stock worth $5,066,701 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.