Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 2.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,988,957 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 113,278 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.7% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $390,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 147,413 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,414,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Nicholas Wealth LLC. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. Nicholas Wealth LLC. now owns 14,911 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,458,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,051,707 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $103,256,000 after acquiring an additional 36,582 shares during the last quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 5,124 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 4,596 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $116.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $111.00 price objective (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.46.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.58, for a total value of $167,205.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 642,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,937,193.04. This trade represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.18, for a total value of $222,596.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 619,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,682,831.24. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,888 shares of company stock valued at $13,835,383. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $100.55 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $801.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $103.40 and a 200-day moving average of $99.80. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $109.57.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.