Hilltop National Bank Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Hilltop National Bank lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,647 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 445 shares during the quarter. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 183,276 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,559,000 after purchasing an additional 2,394 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,910,626 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $262,975,000 after buying an additional 593,874 shares during the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management increased its holdings in Walmart by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 11,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. First International Bank & Trust raised its position in Walmart by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 13,681 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,236,000 after buying an additional 2,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 24,260 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,203,000 after acquiring an additional 4,806 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116 over the last three months. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,716,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,841,860. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.39 and a 1 year high of $96.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current 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.