WealthShield Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• WealthShield Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 87.3%, owning 98,960 shares worth approximately $8.7 million, making Walmart the firm's 22nd largest position.
• CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares worth over $2.8 million, resulting in a slight decrease in his ownership percentage to 4,451,199 shares.
• Walmart's stock price has been fluctuating, sitting at $99.21 recently, with a market cap of $791.74 billion and analyst consensus rating of "Buy."

WealthShield Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 87.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,960 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 46,130 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.1% of WealthShield Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. WealthShield Partners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Warburton Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Warburton Capital Management LLC now owns 4,816 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 3.4% during the first quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,125 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,469,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 425,961,042 shares of the retailer's stock worth $37,395,120,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224,154 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 30.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,922,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the retailer's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $3.96 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $103.27. The stock had a trading volume of 23,730,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,905,739. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $824.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.13, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $96.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.16. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction 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 represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $166,726.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. 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.