Avalon Trust Co Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Avalon Trust Co increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 143.3%, purchasing an additional 2,794 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 4,744 shares worth approximately $417,000.
• Other hedge funds have also significantly increased their investments in Walmart, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing holdings by 9,896.9%, now owning nearly 7.94 million shares valued at approximately $697 million.
• Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings with an EPS of $0.61, exceeding analyst estimates by $0.03, along with a revenue of $165.61 billion during the period.

Avalon Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 143.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,744 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,794 shares during the quarter. Avalon Trust Co's holdings in Walmart were worth $417,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Full Sail Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Monument Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 94.2% during the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 156.7% during the first quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $1,404,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 19,042,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,544,672. The company has a market cap of $793.95 billion, a PE ratio of 42.52, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $96.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.67 and a 12-month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. 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.