Compass Financial Services Inc Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,589 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the last quarter. Iowa State Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $541,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $102.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $825.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.85 and a 52-week high of $103.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $94.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.36.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.95.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. Corporate 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.