Artemis Investment Management LLP Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 856,625 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 235,289 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.1% of Artemis Investment Management LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $77,396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of WMT opened at $92.02 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.37. The stock has a market cap of $739.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.44 and a 12 month high of $96.18. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value of $2,411,175.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. DZ Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.49.

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.