Argent Trust Co Sells 3,504 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Argent Trust Co decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 489,711 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,504 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.5% of Argent Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $33,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aveo Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,972 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 58.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,631 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,033,000 after buying an additional 2,443 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Walmart by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 114,721 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,086,000 after acquiring an additional 8,374 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 934,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $74,215,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 610,843,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,537,610,048.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 934,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $74,215,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 610,843,318 shares in the company, valued at $48,537,610,048.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock valued at $788,678,803. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $78.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.48. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $81.02. The company has a market capitalization of $631.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $83.00 price target (up from $81.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.99.

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.