RFP Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

RFP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 69.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,402 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 23,622 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.5% of RFP Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. RFP Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. AHL Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 192.1% during the first quarter. AHL Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,000 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 15,785 shares during the last quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $270,000. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 189.4% in the 1st quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 917,625 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $55,213,000 after buying an additional 600,521 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 290.7% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 270,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,250,000 after acquiring an additional 200,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 189.4% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 643,848 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,740,000 after purchasing an additional 421,366 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $81.41. 1,942,482 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,023,449. The firm has a market capitalization of $654.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $81.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Walmart in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.34.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total value of $2,056,445.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,931,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $277,589,163.61. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total transaction of $2,056,445.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,931,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,589,163.61. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total value of $166,624.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,267,901. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.