Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD Has $2.57 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD significantly increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 81.8%, owning 29,311 shares worth approximately $2.57 million.
• Several large investors, including Whelan Financial and Bedel Financial Consulting, have also made incremental purchases in Walmart, indicating sustained interest in the stock.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, and has a consensus price target of $106.67 among market analysts.

Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 81.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 29,311 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 13,185 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.0% of Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lipe & Dalton boosted its stake in Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.40. 16,740,547 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,544,672. The stock has a market cap of $785.27 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $66.67 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.86 and a 200-day moving average of $95.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $421,737,000.84. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 143,912 shares of company stock worth $13,863,813. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.