Saratoga Research & Investment Management Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 489,343 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 261,580 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.7% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $39,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,072,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,197 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,236,769 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,522,369,000 after acquiring an additional 350,881 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,298,000 after acquiring an additional 8,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,400,000 after acquiring an additional 105,430 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 1,804,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.18, for a total value of $142,840,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 605,979,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,981,442,399.24. This trade represents a 0.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,309,091 shares of company stock valued at $183,375,539. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $94.98 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.08 and a 1-year high of $96.18. The stock has a market cap of $763.01 billion, a PE ratio of 38.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $85.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.62.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.40.

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.