Columbus Macro LLC Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Columbus Macro LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 397.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,007 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 65,516 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.0% of Columbus Macro LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Columbus Macro LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $102.47 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $93.46 and a 200 day moving average of $83.69. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.85 and a 52-week high of $102.58. 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 market cap of $823.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.55.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock 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 given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.01.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. Company 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.