EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 250.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,077 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 43,670 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Walmart stock traded down $1.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $68.46. 23,578,664 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,048,109. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $71.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.29. The firm has a market cap of $550.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $64.33 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.60.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,239,034.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total value of $597,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 94,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,420,220. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $166,661.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,239,034.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,537,863 shares of company stock valued at $954,247,577 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart 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.