Avanza Fonder AB Invests $38.80 Million in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 429,481 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $38,804,000. Walmart makes up 1.2% of Avanza Fonder AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $92.02 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.44 and a twelve month high of $96.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $739.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $91.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.10.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.49.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149. 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.